The Sky Above The Mud Below

Two men rode in from the south, on a rainy autumn night The Sky above and the mud below They walked into the Deacon's bar, they were Mexican by sight The sky above and the mud below They threw a horsehair bridle down, We trade this for whiskey rounds. The Deacon slams a bottle down, The two men start to drinkin' Their hair was long and black, tied up behind their ears The sky above and the mud below Their faces were identical, like one man beside a mirror The sky above and the mud below Then someone whispered "That beats all, their wanted poster?s on the wall Twin brothers name of Sandoval, horse thieves from Boquillas" Now the bridle and the belts they wore were braided gray and black The sky above and the mud below The color of a roan horse once belonged to Deacon Black The sky above and the mud below The fastest horse for miles around, He'd been stolen from the old fairground A month ago outside of town. We tracked and never found him Now the Deacon was a preacher who had fallen hard from grace The sky above and the mud below He owned the bar and a string of quarter horses that he'd race The sky above and the mud below Yea, Deacon he could drink and curse, though he still quoted sacred verse. He was sheriff, judge; he owned the hearse, a man you did not anger. The sky above, the mud below, The wind and rain, the sleet and snow Two horse thieves from Mexico drinkin' hard and singin' One brother he spoke English, Deac inquires as to their work The sky above and the mud below The man says "Mister we braid horsehair bridles, ropes and quirts. The sky above and the mud below. Yea, that fine bridle we did make, roan horse killed by leg-bone break. He's horsehair rope now; horse-meat steak, We cleaned him to the bone Well these gentlemen they were ignorant or didn't know just where they were. The sky above and the mud below The Deacon's face grew darker as he measured every word. The sky above and the mud below "You horsehair braidin' sons of bitches stole my claim to earthly riches. Someone go and dig a ditch, There may well be a hangin.? One brother reached inside his shirt searching for his gun. The sky above and the mud below. Too late, for Deac had whirled around his sawed off Remington. The sky above and the mud below The twins, they raised their hands and sneered, Deac was grinnin' ear to ear. "Court's in session, hear ye hear, Yours truly is presidin'" Well the trial commenced and ended quick, They didn't have a hope The sky above and the mud below Deac says "We'll cut your hair now boys and you can braid yourselves a rope" The sky above and the mud below "The Old Testament, it says somewhere 'Eye for eye and hair for hair Covet not thy neighbors mare', I believe it's Revelation." Now the fancy horsehair bridle, it hangs on Deacon's wall The sky above and the mud below Next to that wanted poster of the brothers Sandoval. The sky above and the mud below And the twisted rope so shiny black, the artifact that broke their necks, Their craftsmanship he did respect, ?They shoulda stuck to braidin.' The sky above the mud below, the wind and rain, the sleet and snow The Deacon's hearse is rollin' slow in the first blue light light of morning.