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Prison Trilogy Billy Rose

Joan Baez
Version1
90

Chords in this song

Strum
D-DU-UDU
Billy  Rose was a low rider, Billy  Rose was a night fighter
 Billy Rose knew trouble like the sound  of his own name
Busted  on a drunken charge
Driving  someone else's car
 The local  midnight sheriff's claim to fame
 In an Arizona  jail there are some  who tell the tale, how
Billy  fought the sergeant for some milk  that he demanded
Knowing  they'd remain the boss
Knowing  he would pay the cost
 They saw  he was severely reprimanded
 In the blackest  cell on A  Block
 He hanged  himself at dawn
 With a note  stuck to the bunk  head
 Don't mess  with me, just take me home
 Come and lay,  help us lay
 young Billy down
Luna  was a Mexican the law  calls an alien
 For coming  across the border with a baby  and a wife
 Though the clothes  upon his back were wet
Still  he thought that he could get
 Some money  and things to start a life
 It hadn't  been too very long when it seemed  like everything went wrong
 They didn't  even have the time to find  themselves a home
 This foreigner,  a brown-skin male
Thrown  inside a Texas jail
 It left  the wife and baby quite alone
 He eased  the pain inside  him
 With a needle  in his arm
 But the dope  just crucified  him
 He died  to no one's great alarm
 Come and lay,  help us lay
 Young Luna down
 And we're gonna raze,  raze the prisons
 To the ground
Kilowatt  was an aging con of 65  who stood a chance to stay  alive
 And leave the joint and walk  the streets again
 As the time  he was to leave drew near
 He suffered  all the joy and fear
 Of leaving  35 years in the pen
 And on  the day of his release he was  approached by the police
 Who took  him to the warden walking slowly  by his side
 The warden  said "You won't remain here
But  it seems a state retainer
Claims  another 10 years of your life."
 He stepped out  in the Texas sunlight
 The cops  all stood around
 Old Kilowatt  ran 50  yards
 Then threw  himself down on the ground
 They might as well  just have laid
 The old man down
 And we're gonna raze,  raze the prisons
 To the ground
 Help us raze,  raze the prisons
 To the ground
 Rate it and post comments, THX

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Readable chord sheet for Prison Trilogy Billy Rose by Joan Baez

[G]Billy Rose was a low rider, [Bm]Billy Rose was a night fighter
[C]  Billy Rose knew trouble like the [G]sound of his own [D]name
[Am]Busted on a drunken charge
[C]Driving someone else's car
The [Cm]local midnight sheriff's claim to f[G]ame

In an [G]Arizona jail there are [Bm]some who tell the tale, how
[C]Billy fought the sergeant for some [G]milk that he de[D]manded
[Am]Knowing they'd remain the boss
[C]Knowing he would pay the cost
They [Cm]saw he was severely reprim[G]anded

In the [Em]blackest cell on [Bm]A Block
He [Em]hanged himself at [Bm]dawn
With a [Em]note stuck to the [Bm]bunk head
Don't [Am]mess with me, just take me [D]home

Come and [Em]lay, help us [D]lay
young Billy [G]down

[G]Luna was a Mexican the [Bm]law calls an alien
For [C]coming across the border with a [G]baby and a [D]wife
Though the [Am]clothes upon his back were wet
[C]Still he thought that he could get
Some [Cm]money and things to start a l[G]ife

It [G]hadn't been too very long when it [Bm]seemed like everything went wrong
They [C]didn't even have the time to [G]find themselves a [D]home
This [Am]foreigner, a brown-skin male
[C]Thrown inside a Texas jail
It [Cm]left the wife and baby quite al[G]one

He [Em]eased the pain in[Bm]side him
With a [Em]needle in his [Bm]arm
But the [Em]dope just cruci[Bm]fied him
He [Am]died to no one's great a[D]larm

Come and [Em]lay, help us [D]lay
Young Luna [G]down
And we're gonna [Em]raze, raze the [D]prisons
To the [G]ground

[G]Kilowatt was an aging con of [Bm]65 who stood a chance to s[C]tay alive
And leave the joint and [G]walk the streets [D]again
As the [Am]time he was to leave drew near
He [C]suffered all the joy and fear
Of [Cm]leaving 35 years in the p[G]en

And [G]on the day of his release he [Bm]was approached by the police
Who [C]took him to the warden walking [G]slowly by his [D]side
The [Am]warden said "You won't remain here
[C]But it seems a state retainer
[Cm]Claims another 10 years of your l[G]ife."

He stepped [Em]out in the Texas [Bm]sunlight
The [Em]cops all stood a[Bm]round
Old [Em]Kilowatt ran [Bm]50 yards
Then [Am]threw himself down on the [D]ground

They might as [Em]well just have [D]laid
The old man [G]down
And we're gonna [Em]raze, raze the [D]prisons
To the [G]ground
Help us [Em]raze, raze the [D]prisons
To the [G]ground

Rate it and post comments, THX

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