Behind those stone walls (video)

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1. ‘Twas in St Louis City where I first saw the light,

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brought up by honest parents in the pathway of right.

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I was left on orphan at the age of ten years,

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on mother's grave I've shed many tears.

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2. I'd scarcely reached manhood when I left my old home,

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with some other fellows to the west we did roam.

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Seeking employment though scarcely could find,

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we seemed so poor and the people unkind.

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3. Was in New York City where we first met our fate,

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we were arrested while roaming the streets.

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The charges were burglars, the theft it was small,

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but they said it would place us behind the stone walls.

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4. We were marched next morning to the courthouse for trial,

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my pal was downhearted, so I gave him a smile.

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We pleaded for mercy, but was shown none at all,

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they gave us twenty years behind the stone walls.

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5. We were handcuffed next morning and marched to the pen,

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we arrived there at midnight with a few other men.

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The doors were thrown open, we marched in the halls,

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and learned to be a convict behind the stone walls.

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6. While lying that night on a pallet of straw,

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I swore I would never again break the law.

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There's none but your mother to bear your downfall,

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when you are a convict behind the stone walls.

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7. Come all you young fellows and listen to me,

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when you loose life's pleasures, you've lost liberty.

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I've tasted life's pleasures, it's bitterer than gall,

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it'll lead to a cell behind the stone walls.

(orig. = capo 1st) (The Carter Family)