THE JOKE
As sung by Reggie Hall on the various-artists album "New Orleans Twist Party" (1995)

Now here's a story I'm gonna tell,
And it's a joke that I know you well:

They say that Wyatt Earp rode a horse,
But that's not so; he drove a car.
They say that Big Cheyenne shot up the land,
But he really was a real-estate man.

They say that Rudolph Valentino was a lover,
But that's not so; it was his brother.
Sayin' Jesse James had a gang,
But he really had a ragtime band.

They say that old Bat Masterson carried a cane,
But that's not so; he drove a plane.
They say that Big Cheyenne shot up the land,
But he really was a real-estate man.

They say that old big Paladin have gun will travel,
But that's not so; he shoveled gravel.
Sayin' Jesse James had a gang,
But he really had a ragtime band.

They say that Perry Mason won all his cases,
But that's not so; he sold shoelaces.
They say that Big Cheyenne shot up the land,
But he really was a real-estate man.

They say that Robin Hood lived in the forest,
But that's not so; he was a lawyer.
Sayin' Jesse James had a gang,
But he really had a ragtime band.