In this town there lived an outlaw by the name of Texas Red
Many men had tried to take him and that many men were dead
He was vicious and a killer, though a youth of twenty-four
And the notches on his pistol numbered one and nineteen more
One and nineteen more

Now the stranger started talking made it plain to folks around
He was an Arizona ranger wouldn't be too long in town
He came here to take an outlaw back alive or maybe dead
And he said it didn't matter he was after Texas Red
After Texas Red

The mornin' passed so quickly, it was time for them to meet
It was twenty past eleven when they walked out in the street
Folks were watchin' from their windows, everybody held their breath
They knew this handsome ranger was about to meet his death
Was about to meet his death

There was forty feet between them when they stopped to make their play
And the swiftness of the ranger is still talked about today
Texas Red had not cleared leather when a bullet fairly ripped
And the ranger's aim was deadly with the big iron on his hip
The big iron on his hip

Big iron, big iron
When he tried to match the ranger with the big iron on his hip
The big iron on his hip