The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance

Gene Pitney

Words by Hal David, Music by Burt Bacharach



-From "Gene Pitney Anthology 1961-1968"

-Rhino R2 75896

-peak Billboard position # 4 in 1962

-written for the movie starring John Wayne, Lee Marvin, and Jimmy Stewart but

-then NOT included in the soundtrack. As Pitney himself explains it,: "The song

"Liberty Valance" was written for the movie but for some strange reason never was

put in the sound track. Because of the prior success with "Town Without Pity", I

was paid a bundle to record the song, and Burt Bacharach produced it. He wrote

the song with Hal David. There was some screw up between the Publishing

company Famous Music, and the Parent company, Paramount Pictures as to why

it never was in the actual film."



When Liberty Valance rode to town the womenfolk would hide, they'd hide

When Liberty Valance walked around the men would step aside

'cause the point of a gun was the only law that Liberty understood

When it came to shootin' straight and fast---he was mighty good.



From out of the East a stranger came, a law book in his hand, a man

BRThe kind of a man the West would need to tame a troubled land

BR'cause the point of a gun was the only law that Liberty understood

BRWhen it came to shootin' straight and fast---he was mighty good.

BR

BRMany a man would face his gun and many a man would fall

BRThe man who shot Liberty Valance, he shot Liberty Valance

BRHe was the bravest of them all.

BR

BRThe love of a girl can make a man stay on when he should go, stay on

BRJust tryin' to build a peaceful life where love is free to grow

BRBut the point of a gun was the only law that Liberty understood

BRWhen the final showdown came at last, a law book was no good.

BR

BRAlone and afraid she prayed that he'd return that fateful night, aww that night

BRWhen nothin' she said could keep her man from goin' out to fight

BRFrom the moment a girl gets to be full-grown the very first thing she learns

BRWhen two men go out to face each other only one retur-r-r-ns

BR

BREveryone heard two shots ring out, a shot made Liberty fall

BRThe man who shot Liberty Valance, he shot Liberty Valance

BRHe was the bravest of them all.

BR

BRThe man who shot Liberty Valance, he shot Liberty Valance

BRHe was the bravest of them all.

BR

BRTranscribed by Robin Hood

BR

BRThese lyrics were transcribed from the specific recording mentioned above

BRand do not necessarily correspond with lyrics from other recordings, sheet

BRmusic, songbooks or lyrics printed on album jackets.

BR

BR

BR