In the days of William Bonney better know as Bill the Kid A young cowboy named Joey Steele was bout to make his bid Well the heard one day that Bill thge Kid just rode into town And if he could take him he would be fastest gun around He was just a kid of seventeen but he had a lightin' hand And he said it's time I showed the world that I've become a man Everyone thinks Billy is the fastest gun around But they will know I'm faster when they see me shoot him down They finally came togehter down on Main Stret just at five The people were all gathered wonderin' who'd be left alive Billy knew that Joey wanted notches on his gun And he wished that he could give him those he'd carved upon his own Joey's hand went to his side he was sure that he had won But before he even fired he saw the smoke of Billy's gun And he felt the bullet hit him hard and before his eyes he saw His wasted life pass quickly ending with this fatal draw Billy breathed more easily and he put away his gun And he tried to ease his conscience for the wrong that he had done Then he saddled up his horse and headed westward out of town And he wondered just how long he'd be the fastest gun around