Lyr Req: Ballad of Peg Legged Pete

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Ballad of Peg Legged Pete
From: GUEST,David Gerstein
Date: 06 Mar 23 - 02:16 AM

As of the time I'm writing this, there's a recording of "Peg-Leg Bandit" (sic) from Smiley Burnette up on YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1RD9HHj3g-E

Burnette also recorded the earlier "Peg Leg Jack," so the two have obviously been confused over the years.

The lyrics of "Peg-Leg Bandit" are a bit hard to decipher, but here's my best crack at them:

Oh, there once was a bandit from the Van Horn Peak
And a mean-eyed rat was he,
With one good leg, and the other was a peg,
And he lived in a holler tree;
He never came out till the dark of the moon
And his face, it never showed;
You could hear that peg leg [tap-a-tap-tap]
As he came down the road.

He carved out a notch in the gun that he wore
For many a bloody fight;
With a whiskered chin and a snaggletoothed grin
He started out one night;
But little he knew what trouble brewed
Till the shooting had begun
And a sixgun fanned out (tap-a-tap tap)
And started off the fun!

[Third verse repeats the first with minor differences:]
Oh, the bad old bandit from Van Horn Peak
A mean-eyed rat was he,
With one good leg, and the other was a peg,
And he lived in a holler tree;
He never came out till the dark of the moon
And his face, it never showed;
You could hear that peg leg (tap-a-tap-a-tap)
As he came down the road.

By the flashing pistols, Peg-Leg guessed
He had [out too much bail?];
He knew right then he'd reached his end;
He had a Ranger on his trail;
Now Peg-Leg [quickly told the rest not would he?] fall in grace;
He rapped in vain a (tap-a-tap tap)
Outside the pearly gates!

Outside (tap-a-tap-tap! "Lemme in!")
The pearly ("Open up! Open up!")
Gates!

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Ballad of Peg Legged Pete
From: GUEST,Dennis
Date: 29 May 22 - 12:32 AM

He was a bad ol' bandit from the Bannock Creek (a tributary in Idaho) and a mean ol' rat was he.

Subject: Lyr Add: PEG LEG PETE (Red Lester & his Stilton…)
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 08 Nov 18 - 06:04 AM

I found this on Spotify:


PEG LEG PETE
As recorded by Red Lester and his Stilton Stetsons on “Chalk and Cheese” (2014)

Peg-Leg Pete, he lost his feet due to gang-a-rene.
Now he don’t worry ‘bout toenails or the black pits in between.

Peg-Leg Pete, he’s got wooden feet; he’s got timber toes,
And he knocks out a solid beat ever’where he goes.

He won’t take cod liver oil ‘cause that don’t ease the pain;
Just a coat of creosote brushed into the grain.

Peg-Leg Pete, now he don’t need a chiropodist
If it’s certain the tree surgeon can cut out the rotten bits.

Peg-Leg Pete, he’s so discreet, you’d hardly notice him
If it wasn’t for the clomping of his old prosthetic limb.

He won’t take cod liver oil ‘cause that don’t ease the pain;
Just a coat of creosote brushed into the grain.

Peg-Leg Pete, he’s got wooden feet; he’s got timber toes,
And he knocks out a solid beat ever’where he goes.

Subject: Lyr Add: PEG LEG JACK (Smiley Burnette)
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 08 Nov 18 - 05:30 AM

I couldn’t find a recording of “Peg-Leg Bandit” but I did find this, on YouTube. Also, an mp3 file can be found here along with several other Smiley Burnette songs.


PEG LEG JACK
As recorded by Smiley Burnette, 1934.

Peg-Leg Jack went out one night to get a drink of gin.
He went down to the landlord’s house; the landlord wasn’t in.
He rapped, he rapped, he rapped and he rapped; he rapped all night in vain,
When all of sudden * * * upon the windowpane.

Up to the window he turned his head and there a maid he spied.
He could tell by the way that she * * * * that she would be his bride.
“Come on down,” cried Peg-Leg Jack, “and set on the porch with me,”
And down she came and she set on the porch as pretty as ever you’d see.

Oh, they billed and they cooed, kissed and they loved,
Hugged and squeezed and turtle-doved.
They honeyed and sweetied and “baby, my pet.”
Why they almost melted the concrete step.

But then of a sudden here come her pappy a-drivin’ the village hack.
With a roar and a beller and “Hey, young feller!” he started for Peg-Leg Jack.
Well, Jack lit out with a yip and a shout, for life to him was sweet,
And Jack’s peg leg went * * * * upon the village street.

“Goodbye, my lover,” the maiden cried; “I hope you don’t get killed.”
The old man grabbed his pistol out and with powder and bullets filled.
Jack bumped into a big fat lady; he fell in a puddle, kersplash!
And the old man’s pistol went * * * * as down the road they dashed.

Oh, they raced and they chased, they galloped and they crawled,
They bawled and they hollered and they hollered and they bawled.
They tooled(?) and shockered(?) and they hopped up and down,
Back and forth and around and round.

Well, Jack clumb up into a tree and he thought he’d save his skin,
But the woodpeckers pecked on his old peg leg and they driv him down again.
They ran into the neighbor’s barn; the old man follered him in.
A mule got sore and whaled away and he kicked him out again.

Peg-Leg Jack he run kersmack! into the constabule,
Who joined the chase with the gal’s old man, the fat lady and the mule.
They chased that sailor round and round, around a big haystack.
The old man ran around the other way and he grabbed poor sailor Jack.

Oh, they wrestled and they tussled; their eyes got black.
Jack hit her pappy and her pappy hit back.
They teetered and they tumbled and they cussed and they swore.
They barked their knuckles and their clothes they tore.

The old mule cried and the fat lady screamed; the constable let out a yell.
He took that old man by the collar and he locked him in a cell.
Peg-Leg Jack he hurried back the maiden fair to wed,
But found that she had gone and married a soldier boy instead.

Oh, poor Jack cried; he bellered ‘n’ he swore.
He grabbed him a ship and sailed from the shore.
He sailed away as fast as sin,
And that was the last that we heard of him.

* = thump on body of guitar.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Ballad of Peg Legged Pete
From: GUEST
Date: 07 Nov 18 - 09:49 PM

Google Peg Leg Bandit and you'll find a copy for sale of the Smiley Burnette record mentioned above.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Ballad of Peg Legged Pete
From: GUEST
Date: 07 Nov 18 - 09:39 PM

I have a 78 r.p.m. recording of this tune by Smiley Burnette on the ARA label that I got as a kid back in 1947.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Ballad of Peg Legged Pete
From: GUEST
Date: 04 Jul 14 - 03:29 AM

Smiley burnette sang the song in a movie, the excerpt of which was on YouTube but has since been deleted.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Ballad of Peg Legged Pete
From: GUEST,guest Wizard
Date: 24 Aug 13 - 03:16 AM

Oh, there once was a bandit from the Badhorn Creek and a mean eyed rat was he,
with a one foot leg and the other was a peg and he lived in a hallar
tree.
he never came out till the dark of the moon and his face would never show,
you could hear his peg leg, do, do do do as he came down the road

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Ballad of Peg Legged Pete
From: GUEST,dennis
Date: 19 May 07 - 02:03 AM

The only part I remember for sure from listening to the little golden (Disney?) record when I was a kid nigh on to fifty years ago is:
...and a mean ol' rat was he.
He had one good leg and the other was a peg
And he lived in a holler tree.
He never came out till the dark of the moon,
And his face he never showed,
But you could hear his peg leg (thump-a-thump-thump)
As he went down the road.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Ballad of Peg Legged Pete
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 16 May 07 - 10:41 PM

There are two actual peaks called Van Horn Peak: one in Trinity County, California, and one in Custer County, Idaho.

This information from The Getty Thesaurus of Geographic Names.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Ballad of Peg Legged Pete
From: GUEST,ILENE
Date: 14 May 07 - 02:02 PM

The way I have the song it was

Peg-legged bandit from Van Horn Peak and a mean-eyed rat was he.
He had one leg and the other was a peg and he lived in a hollow tree.
He never came out till the dark of the moon and his face was never shown.
But you could hear his peg leg click, click, click as he ran down the road.

Somewhere, I have the rest of the words and if and when I can dig them out, I will send you the rest.

I am looking for a copy of the record or some recording to this and many other old songs. You can e-mail me at [e-mail]

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Ballad of Peg Legged Pete
From: cptsnapper
Date: 12 Dec 05 - 03:05 PM

I think that Ian Macintosh sings it though I don't know if he's recorded it.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Ballad of Peg Legged Pete
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 24 Sep 05 - 02:33 PM

Peter Stuyvesant actually had a wooden leg, and he is known as "Pegleg Pete" by the students at Stuyvesant High School in New York, where the football team is called the Peglegs.

Peg-leg Pete (a.k.a. Black Pete or just Pete) is also an ongoing Disney cartoon character who first appeared in 1928. He is the usual nemesis of Mickey Mouse.

Most references to Pegleg Pete (however you spell it: Peg-Leg, Peglegged, Peg-Legged) that Google finds are references to the Disney character; this makes it hard to find a ballad by that name.

Googling with phrases from the quoted lines above turns up nothing.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Ballad of Peg Legged Pete
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 24 Sep 05 - 09:55 AM

There are several creeks in America called Van Horn Creek (CA, ID, KS, OH, OR, TN, TX, WA) and one called Van Horne Creek (PA) but I am unable to find any place called Banhorn.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Ballad of Peg Legged Pete
From: The Fooles Troupe
Date: 23 Sep 05 - 09:33 AM

I thought Pegleg Pete was that big nasty guy in the Dizzy Cartoons.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Ballad of Peg Legged Pete
From: Snuffy
Date: 23 Sep 05 - 08:29 AM

You're thinking of Mexican Pete, Les.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Ballad of Peg Legged Pete
From: GUEST,Les B.
Date: 23 Sep 05 - 12:45 AM

Wasn't it Pegleg Pete who was the male lead in "Eskimo Nell" ...
some of the rest of you can supply the pertinent verses - :)

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Ballad of Peg Legged Pete
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 23 Sep 05 - 12:12 AM

Guest who posted at 12:49: Are you sure you aren't thinking of PEG-LEG JACK? It's been posted here and here, but I don't think it's the song that was requested.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Ballad of Peg Legged Pete
From: GUEST
Date: 19 Sep 05 - 12:49 PM

This song is on 'Carson Robison & His Pioneers' album, recorded
somewhere around 1925, a great album !
I don't have it with me at the moment, but at least you now know
where you can find it.

Subject: Lyr Req: Ballad Of Peg Legged Pete
From: GUEST,Cookie
Date: 06 Oct 04 - 07:21 AM

Looking for the lyrics to the Ballad of Pegleg Pete. Around 1950 USA country and western.

There was a bad ol' bandit from the Banhorn Creeks,
and a mean-eyed rat was he.
He had one good leg and the other was a peg,
and he lived in a holler tree....

Anyone know this one? Thanks.