How the people held their breath when they heard of Jesse's death Wondered how he came to die For the big gray war, the little Robert Ford shot Jesse James on the sly It was Robert Ford, that dirty little coward I wonder how he does feel? For he eat Jesse's bread and he slept in Jesse's bed Then he laid Jesse James in his grave Jesse leaves a wife that will mourn all her life The children that he left will pray For Bob, for the coward that shot Mr. Howard And laid Jesse James in his grave Jesse was a man, a friend to the poor, he'd never see a man suffer pain But with his brother Frank He robbed the Springfield bank and stopped the Glendale train It was his brother Frank that robbed the Gallatin bank And carried the money from the town It was in this very place, they had a little chase And they shot Captain Sheets to the ground Jesse leaves a wife that will mourn all her life The children that he left will pray For Bob, for the coward that shot Mr. Howard And laid Jesse James in his grave They went to the crossing not very far from there And there they did the same For the agent on his knees delivered up the keys To the outlaws Frank and Jesse James T'was on a Saturday night and Jesse was at home Talk'n with his family brave Bob Ford came along like a thief in the night And laid Jesse James in his grave Oh they laid poor Jesse in his grave yes Lord They layed Jesse James in his grave Oh he took from the rich and gave it to the poor But they laid Jesse James in his grave Jesse went to his rest with his hand on his breast The devil will be upon his knee He was born one day in the county of Clay and came from a solitary race Now men when you go out into the West, never be afraid to die They had the law in their hands, but they didn't have the sand To take Jesse James alive Jesse leaves a wife that will mourn all her life The children that he left will pray For Bob, for the coward that shot Mr. Howard And laid Jesse James in his grave Oh they laid poor Jesse in his grave, yes Lord They layed Jesse James in his grave Oh he took from the rich and he gave it to the poor But they layed Jesse James in his grave