The Robin Hood of Oklahoma

The Weird Aryan History Series - Lesson #55

Pretty Boy Floyd

Now gather 'round me, children,
A story I will tell
'Bout Pretty Boy Floyd the outlaw,
Oklahoma knew him well.

It was in the town of Shawnee,
A Saturday afternoon,
His wife beside him in his wagon
As into town they rode.

Then up come a deputy sheriff,
In a manner rather rude,
Using vulgar words of language,
An' his wife she overheard.

Well, Pretty Boy grabbed a log chain,
The deputy grabbed a gun;
And in the fight that followed
He laid that deputy down.

Then he took to the trees and timber
To live a life of shame;
Every crime in Oklahoma
Was added to his name.

But a many a starving farmer
The same old story told
How the outlaw paid their mortgage
And saved their little home.

Some tell you of a stranger
That come to beg a meal,
And underneath his napkin
He left a thousand dollar bill.

In Oklahoma City,
It was on a Christmas Day,
When taxi loads load of groceries
Come with a note to say:

"It's true that I'm an outlaw,
It's true that I'm a thief.
But here's a Christmas dinner
For the families on relief."

As through this world you ramble,
You'll meet some funny men;
Some will rob you with a six-gun,
And some with a fountain pen.

And as through your life you travel,
As through your life you roam,
You'll never see an outlaw
Drive a family from their home.


Words and Music by Woody Guthrie
© 1958 (renewed) by Sanga Music, Inc.