We were feeling very fine air was clear and slightly damp
We were riding back to have ourselves a party
To celebrate the robbing of the train
We were talking kind of low and lazy
About not having to go out soon again, oh yeah
You know we hadn't been back home two hours
We heard a hawk cry out in the night
And you know that's a signal from young Billy, who's our sentry
He's saying something here ain't exactly right, oh
So we quick grabbed some of our hardware
Stumbled out of our home
Two minutes flat we had found her an Indian girl all alone
And Eli said, "Let's take her back to the cabin"
I said, "You don't know she might be the law, yeah"
He said, smiling kind of nasty
"It ain't too damn likely she'll beat me to the draw", Oh yeah
We were walking back through the darkness
I heard the Duke, he's our dynamiter, say
He said, "What's your name, sweet little Indian girl?"
She said, "Raven" and she looked away
Right then I didn't trust her, no and I said so, oh no
Now, Eli, he's our fastest gunner
He's kind of mean and young from the South
He said, "Fat Albert, you're getting kind of old and weird now"
You'd better get your twelve gauge or shut your mouth and ass now
And I [Incomprehensible]
Now Eli and the Duke they got down to it
They each wanted the Indian girl for their own
But when they finally got around to asking her
You know she said, She'd come to take young Billy home
Eli said, He'd kill young Billy he'd kill the Duke
And probably me too, yeah, the Indian girl said, "Go ahead now do it"
I said, "Stop it", and she bit my thumb nearly clean through
And when they finally started to break down the door
I smeared my face up with blood from my thumb, yeah
I laid down on the floor and played real good possum
You know I'm crazy but I ain't real dumb, oh no
Now I'm dying here in Albuquerque
I must be the sorriest sight you ever saw
You know the reason I'm the only man here to tell it
You know that Indian girl, she wasn't an Indian she was the law, oh
David Van Cortlandt Crosby (August 14, 1941 – January 18, 2023) was an American singer, songwriter, and guitarist. He first found fame as a member of the Byrds, with whom he helped pioneer the genres of folk rock and psychedelia in the mid-1960s, and later as part of the supergroup Crosby, Stills & Nash, who helped popularize the California sound of the 1970s. In addition to his music, Crosby was known for his outspoken personality, politics, and personal troubles; he was sometimes depicted as emblematic of the counterculture of the 1960s.
After a short time performing in the folk music scene, Crosby co-founded the Byrds in 1964. They scored their first number-one hit in 1965 with a cover of Bob Dylan's "Mr. Tambourine Man". Crosby appeared on the Byrds' first five albums and the original lineup's 1973 reunion album. In 1968, he formed Crosby, Stills & Nash (CSN) with Stephen Stills and Graham Nash. After the release of their debut album, CSN won the Grammy Award for Best New Artist of 1969. The group later occasionally included Neil Young. The core trio of CSN remained active from 1976 until 2016, and the duo of Crosby & Nash also recorded three gold albums in the 1970s. Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young (CSNY) reunions were held in each decade from the 1970s through the 2000s.
Crosby released eight solo albums, albeit sporadically, over the course of his career. His solo debut was 1971's If I Could Only Remember My Name. The last five of his solo albums, beginning with Croz (2014), came in the last decade of his life. Additionally, he formed a jazz-influenced trio with his son James Raymond and guitarist Jeff Pevar in CPR. He also appeared frequently on recordings by other artists, including Joni Mitchell, Jefferson Airplane, Jackson Browne, James Taylor, Elton John and David Gilmour.
Crosby's combined work with the Byrds and CSNY has sold over 35 million albums. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame twice: once for his work in the Byrds and again for his work with CSN. Five albums to which he contributed are included in Rolling Stone's list of "The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time", three with the Byrds and two with CSN(Y).
He was also an occasional actor, appearing as a member of Captain Hook's pirate crew in Hook (1991).
