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LYRICS, POETRY AND PROSE 180730

A place to share some words of beauty, inspiration, and life. Today’s lyrics are all about being in jail. One of them. Jail House Rock, depicts jail as a fun place, full of dancing prisoners. The second – also humorous – tells of small-town injustice, where somebody spends the night in jail for picking flowers. And the third is about the loneliness of Christmas in prison. Click on the name of the piece to get a video or more information.

The warden threw a party in the county jail
The prison band was there and they began to wail
The band was jumpin’ and the joint began to swing
You should’ve heard them knocked-out jailbirds sing

Let’s rock everybody, let’s rock
Everybody in the whole cell block
Was dancin’ to the Jailhouse Rock

– Jailhouse Rock Singer: Elvis Presley; Writers Jerry Leiber & Mike Stoller

Well, I left my motel room, down at the Starkville Motel,
The town had gone to sleep and I was feelin’ fairly well.
I strolled along the sidewalk ‘neath the sweet magnolia trees;

I was whistlin’, pickin’ flowers, swayin’ in the southern breeze.
I found myself surrounded; one policeman said: “That’s him.
Come along, wild flower child. Don’t you know that it’s two a.m.”

They’re bound to get you.
‘Cause they got a curfew.
And you go to the Starkville City jail.

Well, they threw me in the car and started driving into town;
I said: “What the hell did I do?”
And he said: “Shut up and sit down.”

– Starkville City Jail Singer and writer: Johnny Cash

It was Christmas in prison and the food was real good
We has turkey and pistols carved out of wood
I dream of her always even when I don’t dream
Her name’s on my tongue and her blood’s in my strings

– Christmas in Prison Singer and writer: John Prine