I got carried away on that "guru" rap, mainly cos it's a subject that just happens to interest me a lot...and I have apologized in a PM to Stewie for so doing...it was really off topic, anyway.

Getting back to the Ballad of Pancho and Lefty...I wonder if the line about the Federales letting Pancho get away "out of kindness, I suppose" is a bit satirical...a wry or sarcastic comment on the Federales themselves?

I have NEVER heard of the Federales letting anyone get away out of kindness...it's not a quality they were know for. Sounds more to me like they were making empty boasts, and that Pancho was simply too smart for them...till his luck finally ran out.

He was too smart for Pershing and the US Army (assuming it was Villa the song refers to). Their incursion into Mexico caused Villa's opponents in the Mexican government great damage, but did no harm whatsoever to Villa. He was one clever bandit.

- LH