Phil Ochs - Paul Crump Lyrics
Pre>Dm gIn the state of illinois bout nine years agoDm c bb aA cold blooded killer he went against the lawDm gHe killed a factory guard when his robbery did failDm c gAnd they caught him and they threw him in the jail.He lay there in his cell locked up with his hateNot many men knew of him and less cared for his fate.And he knew no peace of mind when his trial was comin byThe judge said, you are guilty you must die.Bb fBut paul crump is alive todayC fHes a-sittin in a cell, hes got somethin to sayDm gEvery man has got something to giveC amAnd if a man can change, then a man should live.They sent him to cook county jail, a jail known far and wideWhere pity was a stranger and brave men often cry.They locked him in the death row to count the days beforeTo the day they came a knockin at his door.But another warden came along, jack johnson was his name;He knew how prison living could drive a man to shame.He had no need of pistols in a solitary cellBut a word of trust would help him just as wellBut paul crump is alive todayHes a-sittin in a cell, hes got somethin to sayEvery man has got something to giveAnd if a man can change, then a man should live.Between the warden and the convict a friendship slowly grewAnd one learned from the other that a man can live anew.Then the warden called the convict, you must leave the devils planThe time has come for you to be a man.Then the convict found religion and he started him to learnHe wrote himself a novel called _burn killer burn_.And as his dying day grew near, to the warden he did cryYou must pull the switch and I must die.But paul crump is alive todayHes a-sittin in a cell, hes got somethin to sayEvery man has got something to giveAnd if a man can change, then a man should live.It was up to governor kerner to keep him from the graveWas rehabilitation a reason to be saved?The hour was comin closer, the word was spread aroundA new and better answer must be found.Well the electric chair was cheated, the convict didnt pay.A new concept of justice was born and raised that day.Now throughout this peaceful land there are others set to dieWhat better time than now to question why?But paul crump is alive todayHes a-sittin in a cell, hes got somethin to sayEvery man has got something to giveAnd if a man can change, then a man should live./pre>
