F             C             Gm         Dm
in a false front ghost town in the middle part of kansas,
F     Bb           C
i spent a night as jesse james
F             C             Gm         Dm
me and cole and a couple other youngers
F     Bb           C
we’d just cleaned the muncie train
Dm               Gm                  Am              Bb
and in the town the chinese hookers they didn’t make me pay,
Bb         C           F
man i wish that i was jesse james

I was drinking in a poker place in Austin
when in the door this cowboy came
he sat beside me and twice he looked me over
he said to me you look like jesse james
and i have this thing for chinese hookers
and i have half a gang,
i told them all we’d ride with jesse james

he showed me the poster from the railroad
and i must admit we looked the same
he said there’s a train we might get to robbing
and there’s a payroll on that train
and just then this chinese hooker walked up and said bang
and i never thought i’d see that guy again — but it turns out…

Cole he spent the last of his stagecoach share
on a bottle and a chinese whore
he and i woke up in the alley
and we both wanted more
but in that town the chinese hookers cost two bucks a throw
so we headed out for cash with chancre sores

we met the gang on the southern end of muncie
after bud agreed to play along
we pretended we all knew each other
but we were acting all along
but i kept thinking bout those chinese hookers
& riding for that train,
feeling as alive as jesse james

We hit the train west of kansas city
they said the biggest since 65
Fifty thousand and shitpile full of watches
a bunch of rings and a german knife
bud knew a town with chinese hookers
where he could buy a wife,
and we rode off loaded and alive

there’s something bout the way the fellows treat you
when you’ve led them and you’ve won
& the fact that you met your reputation
& your legend ain’t undoneand
i knew when i was riding in i’d never be the same
there i was as cool as jesse james — and then…

the first saloon that looked like what we wanted
it was called the chinese whore
we tied our horses just outside the window
the miller boy kicked in the door
and then there came the chinese hookers
and they knew my name,
man it’s good to live like jesse james

the boys took off sometime in the morning
maybe it was afternoon
i was upstairs singing asian love songs
when the posse made the saloon
but i was with a chinese hooker blinded by my fame
run away my hero jesse james

I made it to missouri and cut off all my hair
and soon enough it seemed i’d got away
that one job made all that i needed
i never worked another day
and only with the chinese hookers
do I still play that game,
how’d you like to ride with jesse james?