Gangster Of Love

Lyrics: Johnny "Guitar" Watson
Music: Johnny "Guitar" Watson

Played live by the Grateful Dead in their very early days in 1966.

Went down to the [?] county
Drive across the border line
Rope fifty five girls
You know I kiss them all at the same time
I take twenty five or thirty
I'd put them on a freight
That's a million dollar reward for me
In each and every state

I'm a gangster of love
Yes I am, I'm a gangster of love
When I'm riding in my car
Girls from near and far say
Gangster of love
Gangster of love

Gangster of love, yes I am
Gangster of love
Gangster of love
When I'm riding in my car
All the girls from near and far say
Gangster of love
Gangster of love

Grateful Dead and Related Recordings
	Date	Album
	3 Jul 1966	Rare Cuts And Oddities (note 1)

Other Recordings
	Date	Album	Recorded By
	1957	Single	Johnny "Guitar" Watson
	1968	The Ssilor]	Steve Miller Band

Notes
(1) also released on 30 Trips Around The Sun

The original version by Johnny Guitar Watson had several more verses:

Jesse James and Frank James
Billy Kid, all the rest
Supposed to be some bad cats
Out in the West
But when they dug me
And my gangster ways
They hung up their guns
And made it to the grave

'Cause I'm a gangster of love
Say I'm a gangster of love
Well now
When I walk down the street
All the girls that I meet
Say he's a gangster of love
Yeah

I robbed the local beauty contest
For their first place winner
They found her with me out in Hollywood
Eating a big steak dinner
They tried to get her to go back
To pick up her prize
She stood up and told them
You just don't realize

That he's a gangster of love
Early in the morning, gangster of love
Ooh yeah, now
When I walk in a bar
Girls from, from near and far
Say he's a gangster of love
Oh let me invade a little

I jump on my white horse, Cadillac
I ride across the border line
I rope sixty five girls
I kiss them all the same time
I take twenty five or thirty
I'd put them all on a freight
A million dollar reward for me
Each and every state
The Sheriff says, is you Guitar Watson?
In a very deep voice
I say, yes Sir, brother Sheriff, and that's your wife on the back of my horse

'Cause I'm a gangster of love
Yeah, I'm a gangster of love
Hey, yeah
When I walk down the street
All the girls that I meet
Say he's a gangster of love

Steve Miller's version is shorter (thanks to Chris Jones

There's Frank James and Jesse James
Billy Kid and all the rest
Supposed to be some bad cats
Way out in the West

If those cats could have dug me
And my gangster ways
They would have hung up their guns
And dug into their graves

Chorus
'Cause I'm a gangster
A gangster of love
I'm a gangster
A gangster of love
Now look here
When I go into a bar
Girls from near and far
Say I'm a gangster
A gangster of love

I jumped in my white horse Cadillac
I rode across the border line
I roped fifty five girls
I kissed them all at the same time
Took twenty or thirty, put 'em all on a freight
There was a million-dollar reward for me in each and every state

Sheriff says, "Is your name Stevie "Guitar" Miller?" in a very deep voice
And I said, "Yes sir, brother sheriff, and that's your wife on the back of my horse"

[chorus]

I can't help it
I'm a gangster
I can't help it
You know, I'm a gangster
I'm a gangster

Further Information
For more information on recordings see Matt Schofield's Grateful Dead Family Discography
For details of every time played by the Grateful Dead, see Chris Edwards Grateful Sets site