Only the Heartaches

There's gold in the mountains, gold in the valleys, but only the heartaches are waiting for me

I left my hometown one long summer evening
Went down to the station to catch me a train
Rode west through Missouri and into Wyoming
Headed out to California to stake a gold claim

I met her at Clancy's the cause of my troubles
A woman with beauty for all men to see
She fed me rye whiskey and gave me a six gun
Said the fools do the digging, smart men work for me

There's gold in the mountains, gold in the valleys
Gold in the rivers and gold in the sea
Fortunes are waiting for men to claim them
But only the heartaches are waiting for me

She gave me her favors, I gave her my sixgun
We cheated most all of the miners in town
And those who complained that she dealt from the bottom
Were challenged to draw and were quickly shot down

But I'm so tired of fighting for love on this woman
Notches on my guns are twenty and three
So I'm leaving my lover, the cause of my troubles
And only the heartaches are waiting for me