Born under a south Kentucky skynHe’d come west to Mexico to fightn1842 at MiernThe gutters filled with blood and fearnBarely made it back to Texas alivennWith Missouri Volunteers when the war begannIn ’46 they crossed the Rio GrandenThere he met his dark-eyed lovennBut he said good-bye when the war was donenHe swore that he’d come back for her againnnOh, oh novianOh, oh you’re man is gonenMaybe he’s in TexasnBut we’ll take what God has left usnAnd we’ll leave for California with the dawnnnWorked his way back to Old MexiconTo reclaim the love he’d left two years agonBack to those same city wallsnWhere he’d watched copper cannonballsnLike wayward suns roll down the cobblestonesnnThey put him in a prison left alonenWith other yankee fools so far from homenParade them through the square in chainsn‘Till in rode Captain Glanton’s gangnApache scalps for bounties paid in goldnnOh, oh novianOh, oh you’re man is gonenMaybe he’s in TexasnBut we’ll take what God has left usnAnd we’ll leave for California with the dawnnnGlanton’s men were killers all by tradenAnd through the prison bars a deal was madenGlanton needed three new mennHired the lovelorn veterannThe killers rode out through the governor’s gatesnnThe Veteran left camp ‘fore the rising sunnNo killer he’d left other work undonenHe was not yet two days outnWhen Glanton’s naked native scoutsnBrought back his empty horse and his brand new gunnnOh, oh novianOh, oh you’re man is gonenMaybe he’s in TexasnBut we’ll take what God has left usnAnd we’ll leave for California with the dawnnnOh, oh novianOh, oh you’re man is gonenMaybe he’s in TexasnBut we’ll take what God has left usnAnd we’ll leave for California with the dawn