VIGILANTE MAN

Original Woody Guthrie version



Have you seen that vigilante man?
Have you seen that vigilante man?
Have you seen that vigilante man?
I've been hearing his name all over the land

Well what is a vigilante man?
Tell me, what is a vigilante man?
Has he got a gun and a club in his hand?
Is that a vigilante man?

Rainy night down in the engine house
Sleeping just as still as a mouse
Man come along and he chased us out in the rain
Was that a vigilante man?

Stormy days, we pass the time away
Sleeping in some good warm place
Man come along and we give him a little race
Was that a vigilante man?

Preacher Casey was just a working man
And he said, "Unite, all you working men"
Killed him in the river, some strange man
Was that a vigilante man?

Oh why does a vigilante man
Why does a vigilante man
Carry that sawed-off shotgun in his hand?
Would he shoot his brother and sister down?

I rambled 'round from town to town
I rambled 'round from town to town
And they herded us around like a wild herd of cattle
Was that the vigilante men?

Have you seen that vigilante man?
Have you seen that vigilante man?
I've heard his name all over the land


Info

VIGILANTE MAN is a song written (words and music) by Woody Guthrie. It was recorded by Guthrie on 26 Apr 1940 as part of a recording session for RCA Victor. These recordings were originally released in 1940 on Guthrie's Dust Bowl Ballads Volume 1 (catalogue # P 27) and Dust Bowl Ballads Volume 2 (catalogue # P 28), each being a three-disc collection of 78 rpm records. VIGILANTE MAN was included on the second volume, size F.

Woody Guthrie -- Dust Bowl Ballads Volume 2
Woody Guthrie -- Dust Bowl Ballads Volume 2

The above lyrics are for the original Woody Guthrie version of VIGILANTE MAN as released on Dust Bowl Ballads Volume 2 in 1940.

Bruce Springsteen's Version

Bruce Springsteen performed VIGILANTE MAN live a few times since 1988. See the studio version for more details.

Credits

Thanks Jake (ol'catfishinthelake at BTX and Greasy Lake) for the lyrics help.

Available Versions

List of available versions of VIGILANTE MAN on this website:

VIGILANTE MAN [Studio version]
VIGILANTE MAN [Live Feb 1988 version]
VIGILANTE MAN [Original Woody Guthrie version]

Page last updated: 16 Oct 2015