It was late one night in the heart of town I was drinking all alone
Ran out of cash when I paid my tabs so I headed home
The night was black, the air was thick as I wandered passed a barn
Then a shot came out and I heard a scream beside me in the dark

Afraid that maybe I'd be next I started to run
Just as fast as my feet would go into the barrel of a gun
The lawman's light was blinding me he said why'd you do it son
Two weeks later in the criminal court I was up on murder one

=CHORUS=
Maybe some early morning in a pasture of green
Beside the still water I'll awake from this dream
This terrible dream
=CHORUS=

Well I sat there in the courtroom as the tears ran down my face
A guilty man is free somewhere and they put me in his place
The jury ran the verdict and the judge called out my name
He said young man you'll spend your life wearing the ball and chain

I'm staring at the ceiling as I lay here on my bed
Fourteen long and lonely years it's where I laid my head
Behind these cold gray prison walls time sure passes slow
And I guess if I die tomorrow I'd still got a life to go

=CHORUS=
Maybe some early morning in a pasture of green
Beside the still water I'll awake from this dream
This terrible dream
=CHORUS=

A man who's lost his vision will live and die alone
In the cold walls of this prison my heart has turned to stone
The lights are growing dimmer as I take my final breath
I can smell the air of freedom as I close my eyes in death

=CHORUS=
Maybe some early morning in a pasture of green
Beside the still water I'll awake from this dream
This terrible dream
=CHORUS=