Tom Paxton - The Hostage lyrics
[Tom Paxton - The Hostage lyrics]
I'm a guard in the great iron prison
At least I was 'till now
It was never a picnic social, never a date
They never come in laughing and you
Know they never taught them how
It was damn hard work
And you wouldn't believe the pay
It was early in the morning, Lord
I wasn't but a half awake
When the Cons went nuts
And took us by surprise
I never was one for shaking
But I found it hard to stand
With a six-inch blade held
Right between my eyes
We could hear a siren blowing
Somebody yelled in pain
Then it got so quiet
You could hear a bird walk by
They all had masks on their faces
And they spoke with a voice of Cain
"If they come in shooting
Then you know you're bound to die
If they come in shooting
Then you know you're bound to die"
I turned to a buddy named Willie
I said "Willie It'll be all right
If they meant to kill us we'd
Be half way down to Hell
See, they high-jacked a plane in the dessert
And the government screamed and cries
But to save some lives
They opened up a prison cell"
So the days kept coming and going
Tension was getting high
But I wasn't too worried
I figured I knew the score
I knew they were talking to someone
I knew they were willing to try
So I figured my freedom was a matter
Of a day or two more
But, Jesus, early this morning
The whirlybird dropped the gas
It made me puke and it brought me to my knees
The bullets came like hail-stones
I heard the first ones pass
Then they cut down Willie
And they got Jim Kelly and me
They cut down Willie
And they got Jim Kelly and me
They come in yelling curses
Like they were caught in the River Rhine
Shot down every God damned thing they saw
And while I lay they wounded
I took another one in my spine
Poor Jim Kelly took another one in his jaw
Oh, Poor Jim Kelly took another
One in his jaw
They say we had our throats cut
By a band of desperate men
Say they saved as many of us as they could
Well the governor he should now it
But I think I'll say it again
That the governor cut my throat
And he cut it good
Let them take the governor
Hold him for a couple of days
See who goes in shooting to set him free
Hell they'll open every jail in the country
They'd send them on their way
They'd never do to him what
The governor done to me
They'd never do to him what
The governor done to me
At least I was 'till now
It was never a picnic social, never a date
They never come in laughing and you
Know they never taught them how
It was damn hard work
And you wouldn't believe the pay
It was early in the morning, Lord
I wasn't but a half awake
When the Cons went nuts
And took us by surprise
I never was one for shaking
But I found it hard to stand
With a six-inch blade held
Right between my eyes
We could hear a siren blowing
Somebody yelled in pain
Then it got so quiet
You could hear a bird walk by
They all had masks on their faces
And they spoke with a voice of Cain
"If they come in shooting
Then you know you're bound to die
If they come in shooting
Then you know you're bound to die"
I turned to a buddy named Willie
I said "Willie It'll be all right
If they meant to kill us we'd
Be half way down to Hell
See, they high-jacked a plane in the dessert
And the government screamed and cries
But to save some lives
They opened up a prison cell"
So the days kept coming and going
Tension was getting high
But I wasn't too worried
I figured I knew the score
I knew they were talking to someone
I knew they were willing to try
So I figured my freedom was a matter
Of a day or two more
But, Jesus, early this morning
The whirlybird dropped the gas
It made me puke and it brought me to my knees
The bullets came like hail-stones
I heard the first ones pass
Then they cut down Willie
And they got Jim Kelly and me
They cut down Willie
And they got Jim Kelly and me
They come in yelling curses
Like they were caught in the River Rhine
Shot down every God damned thing they saw
And while I lay they wounded
I took another one in my spine
Poor Jim Kelly took another one in his jaw
Oh, Poor Jim Kelly took another
One in his jaw
They say we had our throats cut
By a band of desperate men
Say they saved as many of us as they could
Well the governor he should now it
But I think I'll say it again
That the governor cut my throat
And he cut it good
Let them take the governor
Hold him for a couple of days
See who goes in shooting to set him free
Hell they'll open every jail in the country
They'd send them on their way
They'd never do to him what
The governor done to me
They'd never do to him what
The governor done to me