Lloyd Rakosnik

Distinct, unique and percussive. The lyrics simply don't fit the score. That theme of jarring disconnection will be carried trough the entire length of the picture: the town that first lauds the Marshall and then rejects him in the end; the older Marshall marring the much younger bride; the bride who is a non violent Quaker who marries the man of violence; and there are many other incidents that will occur to anyone who watches this film. The ballad tells the entire story of the film in about two minutes and 30 seconds. Ritter's gravelly voice is juxtaposed to the descriptive beauty of the words. Additionally the hardened criminals on screen when the ballad is first sung add another layer of complexity to the film. True, this is a "Western" , a shoot-em-up but if you look closely it is so much more.