As I walked out on the streets of Laredo,
As I walked out on Laredo one day,
I spied a young cowboy all wrapped in white linen,
All wrapped in white linen as cold as the clay.

"Beat the drum slowly, play the fife lowly.
Play the dead march as you carry me along.
Take me to the green valley, lay the sod o'er me,
For I'm a young cowboy and I know I've done wrong."

"Then go write a letter and send it to my grey-haired mother.
And please send the same to my sister so dear.
But please not one word of all this would you mention
When others should ask for my story to hear."

"There is another more dear than a sister.
She'll bitterly weep when she hears that I'm gone.
And if some other man ever wins her affection,
Don't mention my name, and my name will pass on."

"Just beat the drum slowly, play the fife lowly.
Play the dead march as you carry me along.
Take me to green valley, lay the sod o'er me,
For I'm a young cowboy and I know I've done wrong."

"Get six jolly cowboys to carry my coffin.
Get six pretty maidens to sing me a song.
Put bunches of roses all over my coffin.
Roses to deaden the clods when they fall."

We beat the drum slowly, played the fife lowly.
We bitterly wept as we bore him alone.
Down in the green valley, we lay the sod o'er him,
Just a young cowboy who surely gone wrong.