Lyrics

Jesse Woodson James
born in Clay Missouri
When the Union soldiers came set his mother's mind to worry

They beat that boy unconscious when he finally came to,
He vowed to find some justice in the ashes of the home he knew.


The banks foreclosed on the loans
you couldn't pay in them war years,
Lot of people lost their homes, The bankers shed no tears.

Lawmen harassed his family down on the farm,
Jesse's hate grew naturally when they shot off his mother's arm

Now the Yankees all wear pinstripe suits
North or South its all the same
Cause if you come from working roots
You're just working for their gain

Jesse and his gang
were riding through the fields
stopped where some children sang
asked the widow for a meal.

She didn't have much in the home,
but shared with them what she had.
She'd been crying all alone Jesse asked what made her sad.

The mortgage was due that day, and since her husband had died,
she did not have the means to pay.
"on the street" the banker man replied

"Here's fifteen hundred dollars,"
Get receipt to track
You could hear their hoops and hollars
When they stole that money back

Now the Yankees all wear pinstripe suits
North or South its all the same
Cause if you come from working roots
You're working for their gain