[Verse 1]
A young boy named Billy Joe
Restless on the farm
A boy filled with wanderlust
Who never really meant no harm
He'll change his clothes and shine his boots
And he combed his dark hair down
But his mama cried as he walked away
[Chorus]
Don't take your guns to town
Don't take your guns to town
Don't take your guns to town
[Verse 2]
He laughed and kissed his mom and said
"Your Billy Joe is the man
I can shoot as quick, I can shoot as straight
As anybody can
But I wouldn't shoot without a cause
I'd gun nobody down"
But she cried again as he rode away
[Chorus]
Don't take your guns to town, son
Leave your guns at home
Don't take your guns to town
[Verse 3]
Well, he drank his first strong liquor then
To calm his shaking hands
And he tried, he tried to tell himself
At last, he had become a man
The dusty cowpoke stood at his side
Began to laugh him down
And he heard again his mother's words
[Chorus]
Don't take your guns to town, son
Leave your guns at home
Don't take your guns
[Post-Chorus]
Don't take your guns
Don't take your guns to town
Don't take your guns
Don't take your guns to town
[Verse 4]
Filled with rage, then Billy Joe
Reached for his gun to draw
But the stranger drew his gun and fired
Before he even saw
As Billy Joe fell to the floor
The crowd all gathered around
And wondered at his final words
[Chorus]
Don't take your guns to town, son
Leave your guns at home
Don't take your guns to town
A young boy named Billy Joe
Restless on the farm
A boy filled with wanderlust
Who never really meant no harm
He'll change his clothes and shine his boots
And he combed his dark hair down
But his mama cried as he walked away
[Chorus]
Don't take your guns to town
Don't take your guns to town
Don't take your guns to town
[Verse 2]
He laughed and kissed his mom and said
"Your Billy Joe is the man
I can shoot as quick, I can shoot as straight
As anybody can
But I wouldn't shoot without a cause
I'd gun nobody down"
But she cried again as he rode away
[Chorus]
Don't take your guns to town, son
Leave your guns at home
Don't take your guns to town
[Verse 3]
Well, he drank his first strong liquor then
To calm his shaking hands
And he tried, he tried to tell himself
At last, he had become a man
The dusty cowpoke stood at his side
Began to laugh him down
And he heard again his mother's words
[Chorus]
Don't take your guns to town, son
Leave your guns at home
Don't take your guns
[Post-Chorus]
Don't take your guns
Don't take your guns to town
Don't take your guns
Don't take your guns to town
[Verse 4]
Filled with rage, then Billy Joe
Reached for his gun to draw
But the stranger drew his gun and fired
Before he even saw
As Billy Joe fell to the floor
The crowd all gathered around
And wondered at his final words
[Chorus]
Don't take your guns to town, son
Leave your guns at home
Don't take your guns to town
All That You Can’t Leave Behind (20th Anniversary Edition / Super Deluxe / Remastered 2020)
- Flower Child (From ‘All That You Can’t Leave Behind’ Sessions)
- With Or Without You (Live From The Fleet Center, Boston, MA, USA / 2001)
- Bullet The Blue Sky (Live From The Fleet Center, Boston, MA, USA / 2001)
- Where The Streets Have No Name (Live From The Fleet Center, Boston, MA, USA / 2001)
- Bad (Live From The Fleet Center, Boston, MA, USA / 2001)
- Stay (Faraway, So Close!) [Live From The Fleet Center, Boston, MA, USA / 2001]
- Desire (Live From The Fleet Center, Boston, MA, USA / 2001)
- In A Little While (Live From The Fleet Center, Boston, MA, USA / 2001)
- Sunday Bloody Sunday (Live From The Fleet Center, Boston, MA, USA / 2001)
- I Will Follow (Live From The Fleet Center, Boston, MA, USA / 2001)
- New York (Live From The Fleet Center, Boston, MA, USA / 2001)
- The Fly (Live From The Fleet Center, Boston, MA, USA / 2001)
- Wake Up Dead Man (Live From The Fleet Center, Boston, MA, USA / 2001)
- Walk On (Live From The Fleet Center, Boston, MA, USA / 2001)
- Elevation (Quincey & Sonance Remix)
- Elevation (Escalation Mix)
- When I Look At The World (Picante Remix)
- Walk On (Wyclef Jean Remix)
- In A Little While (Nightmares On Wax Remix)
- Beautiful Day (The Perfecto Mix)
- Beautiful Day (Quincey & Sonance Remix)
- New York (Superman Kicks Ativan Remix)
- New York (Carnegie’s Deli Remix)
- Elevation (Paul Van Dyk Remix)
- Gone (Live From The Fleet Center, Boston, MA, USA / 2001)
- Kite (Live From The Fleet Center, Boston, MA, USA / 2001)
- Stuck In A Moment You Can’t Get Out Of (Live From The Fleet Center, Boston, MA, USA / 2001)
- The Ground Beneath Her Feet
- Peace on Earth
- New York
- Kite
- In a Little While
- Grace
- Elevation
- Big Girls Are Best
- Always
- Stuck in a Moment You Can’t Get Out Of
- Walk On
- When I Look at the World
- Wild Honey
- Until The End Of The World (Live From The Fleet Center, Boston, MA, USA / 2001)
- Beautiful Day (Live From The Fleet Center, Boston, MA, USA / 2001)
- Elevation (Live From The Fleet Center, Boston, MA, USA / 2001)
- Stuck In A Moment You Can’t Get Out Of (Acoustic Version)
- Don’t Take Your Guns To Town (A Tribute To Johnny Cash, Dublin / 1999)
- Elevation - Influx Remix
- Summer Rain
- Levitate
- Love You Like Mad
- Stateless
- Beautiful Day
- One
- With or Without You
- I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For
- Sunday Bloody Sunday
- Pride (In the Name of Love)
- Beautiful Day
- Get Out of Your Own Way
- Song for Someone
- Every Breaking Wave
- Where the Streets Have No Name
- You’re the Best Thing About Me
- The Troubles
- Ordinary Love
- Vertigo
- New Year’s Day
- American Soul
- Bad
- The Miracle (Of Joey Ramone)
- All I Want Is You
- Sleep Like a Baby Tonight
- Summer of Love
- Raised By Wolves
- Iris (Hold Me Close)
- Invisible