William (for Leadbelly)

Put both hands up and receive your rights All about some trouble on a moonless night Two plainclothes stand in your door Asking, Are these the clothes you wore? You left home with the world gone wrong With your mouth poked out and your back of brawn To test your mettle against the world at large Till the world went and showed you who's in charge Tie one on Tear up the town Right your wrongs Can't live it down Can't help yourself but to spill blood Go out and show the world what you're made of You've been living in a conversation And the other side has run out of patience As for sometimes friends, there was no short Telling possum lies in a possum court What, do you hope, of it will live on? Will they read your words, will they hear your songs? Go on, now Tie one on Tear up the town Why so long? Ah, settle down Can't help yourself but to spill blood Go out and show the world what you're made of It's violence or conversation And the other side has run out of patience Now you rock that shovel till your wrist's numb And you hike that bucket to the well, son Hope a freight train light can save you Hope a freight train light will save you