Billy the Kid
Ballad of Redemption: Billy's Journey Through Shadows
Lyrics
Quien es? Quien es? My nerves are bare
The speaker is asking who is there, expressing nerves or anxiety.
A click and a peel of thunder
There's a sudden sound like thunder after a clicking noise, causing the speaker to feel numb with awe.
Numb with conscious wonder
The speaker is overwhelmed and bewildered by what has transpired.
What in the Devil have you done?
The speaker questions what terrible thing has occurred or what action has been taken.
A barefoot orphan I was passed around
The speaker feels like a vulnerable, abandoned child who has been passed from person to person.
My life a ricochet
The speaker's life feels erratic, bouncing unpredictably from one situation to another.
Oh, Mama, I hope you'll understand
An appeal to the speaker's mother, hoping she'll understand the unexpected turn of events.
It wasn't meant to turn out this way
The speaker reflects that this outcome wasn't intended or anticipated.
Lost my kin and then the Englishman
The speaker lost family members and then encountered someone from England.
My innocence went on the lamb
The innocence of the speaker disappeared, possibly due to some wrongdoing or fleeing.
Revenge, it got the best of me
The desire for revenge overpowered the speaker, leading to unintended consequences.
And life just came unhinged
Life feels chaotic and out of control.
Oh, Mama, they've gone and put dimes in my eyes
Mentions that someone has put coins (dimes) over the speaker's eyes, a reference to death.
The Devil behind every hand
Suggests that evil or malevolence is present in every situation.
And those newspapers with their pack of lies
Newspapers have portrayed the speaker in a negative, possibly false, light, transforming him into a monster in the eyes of the public.
Have made a monster from a man
Public perception has turned the speaker into something monstrous.
Thought I'd found a place to settle down
The speaker thought they found a place to settle, but it didn't work out.
They'd think I'd fallen off the map
Others assumed the speaker disappeared or vanished.
But for Brady Bell and that Sycamore
Two specific individuals (Brady Bell and a Sycamore) seem pivotal in not letting the speaker escape justice.
They'd never let me beat the wrap
These individuals seem instrumental in preventing the speaker from avoiding punishment or scrutiny.
I'm tired of runnin', not afraid to die
The speaker is tired of running away and is not afraid of death.
Have my wit and kindness of strangers
The speaker values their intelligence and the kindness they've received from strangers.
Why be so gloomy I'd rather laugh than cry
Optimism is expressed, preferring laughter over tears despite the gloomy situation.
Cool myself in the shade of danger
The speaker finds comfort or relief in risky situations.
Quien es? Quien es?
The same nervous inquiry from the beginning, repeating the uncertainty or fear of who's there.
With my last breath
Suggests the speaker is at the end of their life, asking about an unholy pact or agreement made.
What unholy bargain have you made?
Feeling dragged into a conflict or struggle against their will, represented as a musical tribute with a six-gun (revolver) reference.
Dragged into the fray by an undertow
Being pulled into a fight or chaotic situation by an irresistible force.
A six-gun serenade
Refers to a musical performance with a revolver, possibly indicating a showdown or confrontation.
They'll never take this soul alive
The speaker refuses to be captured or taken alive.
I'm staring past the rafters
The speaker is looking beyond the physical world, suggesting a contemplation of the afterlife.
And maybe you think you've got your man
The authorities or someone else might think they have caught the speaker, but the speaker believes they've escaped to the afterlife.
But I've escaped to the hereafter
The speaker asserts they have escaped, possibly indicating death as an escape from the present situation.
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