Wild Bill For Bunny 012912

James Michael Taylor

This is the original version of WILD BILL
that I submitted to Production back in ’95
when I was working on the film. It got set aside
when the music was forwarded from Ry Cooter to Van Dyke Parks.

One day I came in from work and Peggy said, “You have a very interesting message. I grabbed the phone and listened as the lady, Bunny Andrews who was the musical editor for Wild Bill told me that she had just been handed my cassette and that she loved the song, “It is prefect for the film but we already had the music locked down before I got your tape.

Close counts for something. At lease, I knew now that I wasn’t firing blanks when I wrote the song.

Actually, I passed out cassettes of the song to all the production people and they sat around listening and singing along. Jeff and I sat next to eachother to get out hair done each day and we shared some songwriter talk. I hadn’t known he was a songwriter.

So, Bunny moves to Texas these 17 years later and has learned to play the guitar and remembering Wild Bill sends me an email asking if I can send the words and music, so she can learn it. But she wanted the original version. The one with the trombone solos. (She just bought a trombone)

So, I went back into the old cases of cassetts, songs all stored alphabetically and found it.

I know it’s long and it lacks the story part I tell when I do it now. But she wanted the original version…neer to be lost in the alphabetical cases again.

A Lament for Wild Bill

The moon shone like diamonds on mirrors in puddles shaped like horse’s feet
Deadwood was quiet. The smoke had all settled. The blood was dry.
Young Jack McCall sat awake in his cell, alone and quiet.
What had he done that day? What would his mother say?
Oh, Bill. My Bill, what have you done to my heart, Bill.
Oh, Bill. Wild Bill, what have you done to my heart?
You see, Bill had a lover and he left her distraught.
So, she found a new man. No Wild Bill, but so what.
Then Bill comes back to town and some problems arise.
He outgunned the poor fool and there.the rub lies.
You see, Bill had to shoot first or he’d a got shot his self.
He didn’t like it but that was the hand he was dealt
Her young son, his mother’s loss to address
Decides he’ll send this Wild Bill to his eternal rest.
So, he shot Bill in the back. Now he sits in a cell.
He’s got a date with a rope tomorrow at twelve
So, she lost both her lovers, now she’s losing a son.
And there’s no place to hide from the song of the gun.Oh, Bill. My Bill, what have you done to my heart, Bill.
Oh, Bill. Wild Bill, what have you done to my heart?
An eye for an eye, a heart for a heart just doubles the damage
But if he had to do it over he’d have to do it all over
Brothers in worms soon, the grave yard lay yawning
The grass was dry.
the good times, the missed fortunes
The passions the promises,
Their gold would outlast them all.Oh, Bill. My Bill, what have you done to my heart, Bill.
Oh, Bill. Wild Bill, what have you done to my heart?
(C) 1995 Royal T Music