Jesse James Songtext
von Neil Morris

In regards to Jesse and Frank James, my grandfather was personally
Acquainted with them. They, he lived in the, in the southern edge of
Baxter County, Arkansas, and they stayed all night with him lots of
Nights. My grandfather told me there was a lot of those robberies

That was laid to Jesse and Frank James, and he knew that they didn′t
Do it because they was at his place when, uh, when it happened. But
The, you couldn't tell the public that. When they get their mind made
Up that somebody done something, why, the public is gonna stick to
It anyway. Uh, my grandfather, he knew them as boys, and uh, he
Wasn′t helping hide them or anything, but he was already hid. Uh
They could come to his place and go without anybody payin' any
Attention, because nobody expected them down in Arkansas, you see
And when things would get hot, they would come off down here in the
Mountains, and they would stay at my grandfather's. Now that′s the

Story that my grandfather told me when I was just a boy. I′ve heard
Him tell it several different times. And he said, that uh, that Frank


James, at that, uh, World's Fair, I think it was 1901 in St. Louis
Him and Frank both were there, he and Frank James were together
There, and that Frank James offered to bring Jesse there alive
He said that Quantrill was the man that they, that they, Ford boys
Killed, it wasn′t Jesse James at all. And uh, but he was just
About the size of Jesse, and he was red-headed, and, and he wasn't
In a relation to the Fords. Jesse James was a known cousin to, uh
To Charles and Bob Ford. That′s what grandfather says, now he says

Jesse and Frank were not even in that part of the country when
Quantrill was killed. And uh, then the Ford boys, they collected
The thousand dollars for killing Jesse James, and the officials
Accepted the man that they pointed out to them, because they, he
The officials knew that they had been with them on some of the raids
That they made. They, they did shoot Quantrill from behind, that is
They come in the room behind him, and when he, when he looked around
Why, they shot him. He didn't have a gun on him; he′d pulled his
Gun off and hung it on the foot of the bed, and was putting up
A picture there, see, according to the song that come down to us

Jesse James, we understand, has killed
Many a man, robbed a Texas train
And the dirty little coward that killed Johnny Howard
Laid Jesse James in his grave
Oh, Jesse had a wife, she lived a lady all her life
His children, they were brave
But the dirty little coward that shot Johnny Howard
Laid Jesse James in his grave


It was on a Saturday night, the stars were shining bright
They robbed a Denver train
It was one of the younger boys that gathered in the spoils
And they carried the money away

Oh, Jesse had a wife, she lived a lady all her life
His children, they were brave
And the dirty little coward that shot Johnny Howard
Laid Jesse James in his grave

He was standing on a chair, a-dusting pictures there
Thought he heard a noise
And as he turned his head, the bullet killed him dead
And they laid Jesse James in his grave

Oh, Jesse had a wife, she lived a lady all her life
His children, they were brave
But the dirty little coward that shot Johnny Howard
Laid Jesse James in his grave

Now you see, when we start on this song, why, we say we understand
That's the story that's been told, don′t you see. But now, us people
A lot of these people in the, in the mountains don′t believe that