C F My name is Donald White, you see G7 C I stand before you all C F C I was judged by you a murderer G7 And the hangman’s knot must fall C F C I will die upon the gallows pole F When the moon is shining clear C F And these are my final words G7 C That you will ever hear C F If I had some education G7 C To give me a decent start C F C I might have been a doctor or C G7 A master in the arts C F C But I used my hands for stealing F When I was very young C F And they locked me down in jailhouse cells G7 C That’s how my life begun C F Oh, the inmates and the prisoners G7 C I found they were my kind C F C It was there inside the bars C G7 I found my peace of mind C F C But the jails they were too crowded C F Institutions overflowed C F So they turned me loose to walk upon G7 C Life’s hurried tangled road C F And there’s danger on the ocean G7 C Where the salt sea waves split high C F C And there’s danger on the battlefield C G7 Where the shells of bullets fly C F C And there’s danger in this open world C F Where men fight to be free C F And for me the greatest danger G7 C Was in society C F So I asked them to send me back G7 C To the institution home C F C But they said they were too crowded C G7 For me they had no room C F C I got down on my knees and begged C F “Oh, please put me away” C F But they would not listen to my plea G7 C Or nothing I would say C F And so it was on Christmas Eve G7 C In the year of ’59 C F C It was on that night I killed a man C G7 I did not try to hide C F C The jury found me guilty C F And I won’t disagree C F For I knew that it would happen G7 C If I wasn’t put away C F But I’m glad I’ve had no parents G7 C To care for me or cry C F C For now they will never know C G7 The horrible death that I die C F C And I’m also glad I’ve had no friends C F To see me in disgrace C F For they’ll never see that hangman’s hood G7 C Wrap around my face C F Farewell unto the old north woods G7 C Of which I used to roam C F C Farewell unto the crowded bars C G7 Of which’ve been my home C F C Farewell to all you people C F Who think the worst of me C F I guess you’ll feel much better when G7 C I’m on that hanging tree C F But there’s just one more question G7 C Before they kill me dead C F C I’m wondering just how much C G7 To you I really said C F C Concerning all the boys that walk C F A road just like me C F Are they enemies or victims G7 C Of your society?
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