"Jesse James" is a 20th-century American folk song about the outlaw of the same name, first recorded by Bentley Ball in 1919[1] and subsequently by many others, including Bascom Lamar Lunsford, Vernon Dalhart, Woody Guthrie, Pete Seeger, The Kingston Trio, The Pogues, The Ramblin' Riversiders, The Country Gentlemen, Willy DeVille, Van Morrison, Harry McClintock, Grandpa Jones, Bob Seger, The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Carl Sandburg, Sons of the Pioneers, Johnny Cash,Jackson C. Frank Liam Clancy, Mungo Jerry and Bruce Springsteen.
[2] The lyrics are largely biographical containing a number of details from Jesse James' life, portraying him as an American version of Robin Hood, though there is no evidence to indicate that he actually "stole from the rich and gave to the poor".
The song was recorded in 1924 by Bascom Lamar Lunsford and subsequently by many artists, including Woody Guthrie, Pete Seeger, Eddy Arnold, Jackson C. Frank, The Country Gentlemen, The Pogues, The Kingston Trio, Van Morrison, Bob Seger, Willy DeVille, Mungo Jerry and Bruce Springsteen.
Although the lyrics and structure of the song vary among versions, the following arrangement is typical: Jesse James was a lad that killed many a man, He robbed the Glendale train, He stole from the rich and he gave to the poor, He'd a hand and a heart and a brain.
It was on a Saturday night and the moon was shining bright, They robbed the Glendale train, And people they did say o'er many miles away It was those outlaws, they're Frank and Jesse James
Jesse and his brother, Frank, they robbed the Gallatin bank And carried the money from the town It was in that very place that they had a little race And they shot Captain Sheets to the ground
It was on a Wednesday night and the moon was shining bright They robbed the Glendale train And the agent on his knees, delivered up the keys To the outlaws, Frank and Jesse James