ABC-Paramount released Lloyd Price's rendition of Stagger Lee in 1958. I was twelve years old. The song bowled me over, and it's been on my playlist ever since. It's a masterpiece of story-telling, and a musical gem. You can find it - you know where.
Stagger Lee's (Stack-O-Lee) story has been recorded over 170 times with various lyrics and musical settings. Lloyd Price wrote two versions, in the first Billy died over a gambling debt, in the second, the so-called cleaned up version requested by Dick Clark for his American Bandstand, it was over a woman. America - murder over gambling, not good; murder over a woman, number 1. Go figure.
About six years ago, I was working on an evening of "Americana," and wrote a short piece that got Stagger Lee from the crap shoot to the gallows. Last week, I put together a reunion between Stagger Lee and Billy D'Lyon in Billy's gambling emporium on the plains of Hades. I showed it to a friend who suggested I add an intro giving more depth to the characters and their relationship. Done.
Here, then, we have:
SNAKE EYES AND BOXCARS
STAGGER LEE AND BILLY D’LYON ON EARTH AND IN
HELL
(for Sarah Beaudette)
1.
The Boys
Stagger Lee
six/five and handsome as Broadway
would not only dress for the occasion
was
the occasion
That’s a fine suit, Mr. Lee.
Yes, ma’am, thank you.
Nice hat, boss!
Stetson, son, the best.
Stagger Lee stepped out
said good-bye to no one
city not quite dark
got a shine at the corner
tipped big
Stagger Lee
a-tilt at the waist
shoulders forward
arms swinging
takes a long pull from his silver flask
touches his .44
touches his bank-roll
checks over his shoulder
touches the brim of his Stetson
glides and swivels
into
the
alley
Yo, Billy!
William D’Lyon
a.k.a.,
Billy
Billy D
Billy D’ Lion
Billy D’Floater
another street corner dapper-Dan
Three piece suit
hand-made shoes
rocks on his fingers
Billy and Stag known each other for years
grew up together
fell out
fell in
fell back out and in again
like life-long lovers
opposites & equals
Billy – short stuff
Stag – al-ti-tu-di-nous
Billy – ice water
Stag – hundred proof
Stag – equalizer in his holster
Billy – silver tongued
Stag O’Lee was a bad man
Billy was a business man – crooked as the day was long
Billy ran THE floating crap game
could be next door
could be in the church basement
could be in the recovery room
could be in the damn delivery room
could be you’d know where it would be
if you were in the know
Billy D
everybody’s Billy
and everybody liked Billy
even when they slunk home broke
Billy says
Stag, you know what I said.
and Stag says
I do.
You said, don’t come here strapped,
just bring money.
Here’s my money.
Wanna’ frisk me?
Stag did have a bundle that night
folded in a big dollar sign diamond stud clip.
I don’t frisk anyone, Stag, and I see your money.
OK, then. Make
room, boys, I’m livin’ for the spin…
2.
The Spin
No game on earth
quick as craps
dollars down
dice tumble
points made
or not
but
money
grabbed up.
Players best be
sober and sharp
that night
under a street light
and yellow moon
Billy D'Lyon was
Stagger Lee
was not
and when they were done
Billy adjourned to the bar-room
with a handful of greenbacks
and Stagger Lee's brand new Stetson hat.
Couple things quicker than craps -
crazy and bullets.
Stagger Lee steps into the bar-room
calls, "Billy, yo…"
Billy
hands up palms out
says, “Oh, no…”
Smokeless .44
Stagger Lee shoots poor Billy down
Billy clutches at air
slams
against high gloss mahogany
slumps
to dirt black
scuffed black
heel gouged
bar room floor
neck on the rail
hat pushed away
one eye ball
from half his head
staring straight up to nowhere
all glassy and dead.
Stagger Lee drops the .44
retrieves his Stetson
dusts its brim
walks out those swinging doors
and steps right up, ladies and gents,
to the scaffold gallows
like it was church
on Sunday morning –
‘Scuse me, sir
Howdy, Ma’am
Wouldn’t want to be late, Reverend
And Stagger Lee
all snake-eyes
looks down at his boots
bows his head
when the hangman takes his hat
and thinks -
Ain’t nothin’ finer than a Stetson
Ain’t nothin’ colder than this cold wind
Ain’t no forgiveness till hell freezes over
And there ain't nothin' slower
than this goddamn trap door…
BAM!
3.
Welcome Home
Billy D’Lyon
half his head
blowed away
did not go to heaven
Whoever thought he would?
Bill dropped into hell
Stagger Lee
dropped
into thin air
and just as fast
ended up in hell
as well.
Heaven…Hell
Earth between
time’s a funny thing
Billy might’a been gone
a New York minute
but
in hell-time
that was a life-time
and in hell-time
Billy made a big name
for himself.
The devil that cheated
and beated
Stag O’Lee
now owned
the biggest
most ornate
and prosperous
saloon whorehouse and gambling den
on the cold gray plain of Hades.
Through Billy’s
swinging doors
inscribed as of old -
(abandon hope… the house always wins)
neck-stretched
adam’s apple bobbing
bare headed
steps
Stag Lee
who steps up
to a green felt table
just in time
to watch flames
fly
off a hot set of bones
ricocheting
from wall to wall
through all the constellations
snake eyes to boxcars
and back up
into
the
diamond flash
right hand
of one -
Billy, a.k.a., Hell’s D’Lion.
Mr. Lee aims a look at Billy
recognition, of course, on both sides
grins
and lays his money
on the no-pass line
Billy half-grins back
and the roll does commence
Bill huffs steam-engine heat
to warm those ivories
tombstones clack
in his big right hand
Hell time shifts
into strobe time
Flash!
Billy’s arm and hand
swing under and up
Flash!
Bill’s hand opens
dice fly
Flash!
(close up)
dice hit the table
Flash!
time
converts
to
time
and sure as
4 plus 3
5 plus 2
6 plus 1
all
equal
7
Stagger Lee
flips out
and
Flips!
that table over
Fuck you, Billy D
says
Stagga Lee
your crooked game
has come to an end
reaches for his smokeless .44
but Mr. Lee
lost that gun
a million years before
Billy
just smiles
with his whole half face
removes his gray felt Stetson hat
kindly says
Take this back, Mr. Stagger Lee
you’ll have no argument with me
Hell begins to freeze
time
the boys realize
this was no fight man or ghost
would ever win
and
Stagger Lee and Billy D’Lyon
all of a sudden
best-of-friends
hearty hale and arms-around
step up to the bar
drink some fire water down
Stagger Lee gulps forever
adam’s apple jerkin’ like a monkey on a stick
gotta’ get this fixed, he thinks
Billy D. loses half his drink out half his head
gotta get this fixed, he says
Hell freezes over
and
time
rolls
on
tumbling dice
and that is the story
of Stagger Lee & Billy D’Lyon
on earth and in hell
Amen.
RW/Seattle/Oct 2012-May 2018
