A great song by a great artist, Michael Martin Murphy's ballad tells the true story of
the "pettycoat outlaw" Belle Starr.
As you can tell, the whole song is paired in verses of 2, and the pattern of the first
two verses repeats throughout the rest of the song.
To hear how the lyrics are sung you can purchase MMM's album, Cowboy Songs 3.
C F C G
As she rode into Dallas on a dashing black stallion
C F C G
The silver trimmed bridle caught the rays of the sun
C F C G
She had a plume in the band of her spotless white Stetson
C F G C
A long velvet gown and two matching six guns.
Am F G C
Sometimes she wore fringe on her bright beaded buckskins
F C Am G
Raised hell with her pistols and smoked a cigar
C F C G
She had a rattlesnake necklace and she loved desperados
C F G C
This pettycoat wildcat, the outlaw Belle Starr.
Born Myrabelle Sherley in Southwest Missouri
She spoke Greek and Latin and Hebrew quite well
She's fierce as a wildcat, deadly aim with a pistol
She played the piano like a sweet Southern belle.
Her brother rode under the black flag in Kansas
He was killed with one thrill in the great Civil War
She was only sixteen when she bought twin revolvers
And began her career as the outlaw Belle Starr.
And she loved many men who were wild, rough and fearless
She danced with Cole Younger and she fancied Frank James
She married Jim Reed, a dashing young outlaw
Many a lawman soon cursed her name.
She robbed, smuggled whiskey and she sold it to Indians
Rode a big horse named Venus, as black as cold tar
She rode out a-ridin' with Sam Starr the badman
And soon became known as the outlaw Belle Starr
There are several more verses to this song but I cannot find them online. I will edit
this tab when I can find out what they are.
