Dead or Alive rides the hard line between bluegrass tradition and outlaw vengeance, echoing the storytelling prowess of legends like Doc Watson. With flatpicking fire and frontier justice, the song unspools a final reckoning—a haunting tale of sins tallied and debts paid in full. Raw, rootsy, and unflinching, it blends high-stakes lyricism with acoustic grit, delivering a chilling Americana ballad steeped in the folklore of the hunted and the hunter. A must-hear for fans of classic outlaw country and modern folk revival.

Menacing • Traditional • Western showdown • Darkly poetic • Grit-driven

Lyrics

When you think back on the things that you’ve done
As you’re staring down the barrel of a gun
Don’t you mind the couple times your skin shriveled from the sun
The revolution’s just begun

Can you see the way the sun is sitting high
As you prepare to share your last goodbye
Don’t you find you rewind your life before you die
You hang your head and start to cry

Do you hear the way the church bells sound
The tolling in your head it rattles round
There’ll be no pain in your brain when you’re six feet underground
Body, mind, and soul all tied and bound

Can’t you smell the gun fire in the air
Where the seeds you have sewn have come to bear
I’ve been waiting in anticipation to settle up debts square
If you’re inclined now say your prayers

One foot ahead the other best get to walk
The time has come and gone for us to talk
Now’s the time for shooting, refuting key and lock
This single shooter will clean your clock

They say you’re wanted dead or alive
But when I think upon the souls that you’ve deprived
What’s done is done your time has come your last stop has arrived
To send you to your maker I will abide

Tags

Outlaw bluegrass, Doc Watson-style song, Americana murder ballad, acoustic revenge song, modern folk storytelling, Ryan Ruiz Barrel Aged album, alt-country narrative, flatpicking guitar, bluegrass with lyrics, Appalachian folk influence