The Bloody Dotted Line

I used to dream in color and I wished away the days Waiting on the slightest chance that I would get to play A guilded harp, a silver horn with a bonny tune to sing A place inside a golden hall to prance around the king When I was young I wished to be Up to my neck in a fantasy Why did I sign on that bloody dotted line? Let the devils hold it over me Is it a crime to live when you cannot afford the means? Is it a crime to walk the earth like ravenous machines? Is there a way to bridge a gap across a great divide? Is it a secret thrill to know the gods are on your side? When I was young I wished to be A landed man with a back forty Why did I sign on that bloody dotted line? Let the devils hold it over me The smoke still clouds my wits The stink still fills my pores From the night they kicked down the door Down the door, down the door The blood still stains my lips The grief still chafes my soul My pride was raked through the coals Through the coals, through the coals Yonder prison walls They own my flesh and bones But my thoughts are mine alone Mine alone, mine alone End