The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance
Gene Pitney
Words by Hal David, Music by Burt Bacharach
-From "Gene Pitney Anthology 1961-1968"
-Rhino R2 75896
-peak Billboard position # 4 in 1962
-written for the movie starring John Wayne, Lee Marvin, and Jimmy Stewart but
-then NOT included in the soundtrack. As Pitney himself explains it,: "The song
"Liberty Valance" was written for the movie but for some strange reason never was
put in the sound track. Because of the prior success with "Town Without Pity", I
was paid a bundle to record the song, and Burt Bacharach produced it. He wrote
the song with Hal David. There was some screw up between the Publishing
company Famous Music, and the Parent company, Paramount Pictures as to why
it never was in the actual film."
When Liberty Valance rode to town the womenfolk would hide, they'd hide
When Liberty Valance walked around the men would step aside
'cause the point of a gun was the only law that Liberty understood
When it came to shootin' straight and fast---he was mighty good.
From out of the East a stranger came, a law book in his hand, a man
BRThe kind of a man the West would need to tame a troubled land
BR'cause the point of a gun was the only law that Liberty understood
BRWhen it came to shootin' straight and fast---he was mighty good.
BR
BRMany a man would face his gun and many a man would fall
BRThe man who shot Liberty Valance, he shot Liberty Valance
BRHe was the bravest of them all.
BR
BRThe love of a girl can make a man stay on when he should go, stay on
BRJust tryin' to build a peaceful life where love is free to grow
BRBut the point of a gun was the only law that Liberty understood
BRWhen the final showdown came at last, a law book was no good.
BR
BRAlone and afraid she prayed that he'd return that fateful night, aww that night
BRWhen nothin' she said could keep her man from goin' out to fight
BRFrom the moment a girl gets to be full-grown the very first thing she learns
BRWhen two men go out to face each other only one retur-r-r-ns
BR
BREveryone heard two shots ring out, a shot made Liberty fall
BRThe man who shot Liberty Valance, he shot Liberty Valance
BRHe was the bravest of them all.
BR
BRThe man who shot Liberty Valance, he shot Liberty Valance
BRHe was the bravest of them all.
BR
BRTranscribed by Robin Hood
BR
BRThese lyrics were transcribed from the specific recording mentioned above
BRand do not necessarily correspond with lyrics from other recordings, sheet
BRmusic, songbooks or lyrics printed on album jackets.
BR
BR
BR
