They said he killed a man in West Fork, he had no choice but to run
Or they'd hang him in the gallows before the setting of the evening sun
He was an innocent man but they'd framed him outta the truth
So he threw a saddlebag on the back of that Arkansas Buckskin Mule
She was tall and strong lean and long
Sturdy as an iron tool
Ain't a horse alive that could draw his eye from
That Arkansas buckskin mule
In the heat of an Ozark night they forded the river White
Flowing stirrup deep under the glow of the moonlight
Headed east into the bluffs where the bears suckle their young
Made her walk backwards on her track and then hooked it SOUTH!
She was tall and strong lean and long
Flashy as she was cool
Ain't a horse alive that could draw his eye from
That Arkansas buckskin mule
And on through the week he kept on moving
On the back of the best to ever do it
In the month of May, they were cutting hay on the banks of the Fouche La Fay.
They waved him down for a bite of a chow and a sit around the flame
That's when he heard the welcomed word that his name had been cleared
And he turned and grinned at his old friend and gave her a scratch behind the ears
She was tall and strong lean and long
Faithful as a rule
Ain't a horse alive that could draw his eye from
That Arkansas buckskin mule
Ain't a horse alive he'd trade or buy for
That Arkansas buckskin mule
