Well the snow fell hard on Raton Pass
And the rails groaned low at night
Two brothers rode with a warrant book
And a Winchester held tight
Eli was mean as a desert wind
Cal had a preacher’s eyes
They’d drag bad men from canyon towns
Dead or alive for the prize
But the law turned thin and the money dried
Like a creek in the August heat
So they traded stars for mason jars
And corn mash stills in the mesquite
Chorus
From Raton down to Old Mexico
With the federales close behind
Two outlaw brothers and a rattlesnake road
And a jug of mountain shine
Well the coyotes cried and the campfires died
And the moon burned copper red
They were bounty men once, but the law got bought
So they lived outside instead
They cooked white lightning in copper pots
Down where the black pines grow
Sold it to miners and railroad men
Anywhere whiskey would flow
A deputy came with a paid-off grin
Said, “Boys, your time is through”
Eli laughed and he cocked his gun
Said, “Hell, we once hunted you”
Now the posse rode with bloodhound cries
Through Cimarron and rain
And every border town they crossed
Still whispered both their names
Chorus
From Raton down to Old Mexico
With the federales close behind
Two outlaw brothers and a rattlesnake road
And a jug of mountain shine
Well the coyotes cried and the campfires died
And the moon burned copper red
They were bounty men once, but the law got bought
So they lived outside instead
One cold night near the Rio Grande
Cal took a bullet bad
He leaned on Eli and softly said
“Ain’t all of this been sad?”
“Well we chased men down for crooked gold
And we called that justice then
Now we run with thieves through the border dust
Guess we ain’t much different”
Eli buried him beneath white stone
Where the desert meets the sky
Then he rode south with the last moon jar
And never said goodbye
Final Chorus
From Raton down to Old Mexico
Where the hot winds mourn and moan
One outlaw brother still rides tonight
And the devil rides along
If you hear hoofbeats after dark
And smell whiskey on the wind
You might be close to Eli Cade
Still outrunning all his sins
