<Table> <Tr> <Td> "Little Old Fashioned Karma" (1983) Little Old Fashioned Karma 1983 </Td> <Td> "Pancho and Lefty" (1983) Pancho and Lefty1983 </Td> <Td> "Why Do I Have to Choose" (1983) Why Do I Have to Choose 1983 </Td> </Tr> </Table> <Tr> <Td> "Little Old Fashioned Karma" (1983) Little Old Fashioned Karma 1983 </Td> <Td> "Pancho and Lefty" (1983) Pancho and Lefty1983 </Td> <Td> "Why Do I Have to Choose" (1983) Why Do I Have to Choose 1983 </Td> </Tr> <P> "Pancho and Lefty" is a song written by country music artist Townes Van Zandt . Often considered his "most enduring and well - known song," Van Zandt first recorded it for his 1972 album The Late Great Townes Van Zandt . </P> <Ul> <Li> Emmylou Harris then covered the song for her 1977 album, Luxury Liner . </Li> <Li> Also in 1977, Hoyt Axton recorded it on his album Snowblind Friend . </Li> <Li> In 1983, Merle Haggard and Willie Nelson adopted it as the title track of their duet album Pancho & Lefty, and was a number one country hit . </Li> <Li> Willie Nelson and Bob Dylan sang a duet of the song for Nelson's birthday TV special, The Big Six - O in 1993 . </Li> <Li> Dick Gaughan performs the song on his 1998 album Redwood Cathedral . </Li> <Li> The Poozies version of the song is on the 2000 album Come Raise Your Head (A Retrospective). </Li> <Li> Steve Earle performs the song on his 2009 album Townes, which consists of songs written by van Zandt, Earle's friend and mentor . </Li> <Li> Frank Turner performs the song on his 2014 album The Third Three Years . </Li> </Ul>

Who wrote the ballad of pancho and lefty