Merle Haggard: Balladeer
Quotes
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Balladeer : [opening prologue] The legend started simply, just a boy without a home; taken in by Indians, but still pretty much alone. He had to struggle with strange customs, and his own fears from within. He learned the wisdom of the forrest, he learned the ways of the wind.
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Balladeer : The legends tell of men who died to open up the West. They rode through hell to find their promised land. The legends tell of one who tried to fight for all the rest; his name unknown, a stranger alone, the Man in the Mask... The legends tell of one brave man who rose to meet the test; his name unknown, a stranger alone, the Man in the Mask.
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Balladeer : Del Rio was a town in trouble, a town with a gun in its back; plagued by crime that just wouldn't stop, and cursed with a Sheriff that wore black. So you would think they would be suspicious, but certain folks rarely are. They're willing to trust their law to just about any man who wears a star.
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Balladeer : [closing epilogue] A fiery horse across the plains and he was gone from sight. He changed to course of history as he rode. And folks would tell of one Lone Ranger turning wrong from right. They wondered who, but they never knew... the Man in the Mask.
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Balladeer : Butch Cavendish lived undisturbed, waging his private war. And men who made mistakes were simply men he could not afford. Some say he was a monster, and others called him mad. Let's just say Butch Cavendish was everything that's bad.
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Balladeer : [following the ambush] One thing about that Cavendish, he knew how to set a trap. And he finished off the Rangers that day at Bryant's Gap. And Collins had to check them all 'till Butch was satisfied. Dead man lying everywhere, and bloody brothers side to side.
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Balladeer : And Tonto recognized John Reid by the amulet he wore. But John had once saved Tonto's life, so this evened up the score. Tonto had to hide his friend and keep him out of town; 'cause if Butch had known that one Ranger lived, he was sure to hunt John down.
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Balladeer : What is it that brings two friends together, or sends the waves of the sand? And what is it that drives a creature of nature to reach out to the world of Man? Just such a creature was this Great White Horse, as wise and as wild as a runaway. And from the moment John first laid eyes on it, he swore he would ride it someday.
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Balladeer : Now John Reid was just a memory; the Masked Man had taken his place. But that doesn't mean his heart wasn't touched when he saw Amy Striker's face. Amy had to stay to do his uncle's work and to keep his dreams alive. But unless the Masked Man could find Cavendish, true justice would never survive.
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Balladeer : [after Tonto is arrested for Collins' murder] I don't guess anyone stopped to ask what Tonto was guilty of. That didn't stop 'em from wanting to see him swinging high above. But Tonto showed no sign of fear, and he held on to a fervent hope... that the Masked Man wouldn't let his blood brother hang from the end of a rope.
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Balladeer : Those Cavendish boys have been working real hard, going over each step of their plan. Meanwhile, ol' Butch was mighty disturbed by reports of a strange Masked Man. But he wouldn't let rumors mess up his scheme, so he set out on his final campaign. He and his boys rode to their rendezvous with President Grant's private train.
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Balladeer : So Cavendish had pulled it off, vanished without firing a shot. The Masked Man and Tonto had to move fast, and ride while his trail was still hot. They didn't know what he intended to do, but the life at stake was President Grant's. Perhaps Butch would hold him; perhaps Butch would kill him; they just couldn't take that chance.
