Verse
A D
My name is Donald White, you see
E7 A
I stand before you all
A D A
I was judged by you a murderer
E7
And the hangman’s knot must fall
A D A
I will die upon the gallows pole
D
When the moon is shining clear
A D
And these are my final words
E7 A
That you will ever hear
[Verse 2]
A D
If I had some education
E7 A
To give me a decent start
A D A
I might have been a doctor or
A E7
F# master in the arts
A D A
But I used my hands for stealing
D
When I was very young
A D
And they locked me down in jailhouse cells
E7 A
That’s how my life begun
[Verse 3]
A D
Oh, the inmates and the prisoners
E7 A
I found they were my kind
A D A
It was there inside the bars
A E7
I found my peace of mind
A D A
But the jails they were too crowded
A D
Institutions overflowed
A D
So they turned me loose to walk upon
E7 A
Life’s hurried tangled road
[Verse 4]
A D
And there’s danger on the ocean
E7 A
Where the salt sea waves split high
A D A
And there’s danger on the battlefield
A E7
Where the shells of bullets fly
A D A
And there’s danger in this open world
A D
Where men fight to be free
A D
And for me the greatest danger
E7 A
Was in society
[Verse 5]
A D
So I asked them to send me back
E7 A
To the institution home
A D A
But they said they were too crowded
A E7
For me they had no room
A D A
I got down on my knees and begged
A D
“Oh, please put me away”
A D
But they would not listen to my plea
E7 A
Or nothing I would say
[Verse 6]
A D
And so it was on Christmas Eve
E7 A
In the year of ’59
A D A
It was on that night I killed a man
A E7
I did not try to hide
A D A
The jury found me guilty
A D
And I won’t disagree
A D
For I knew that it would happen
E7 A
If I wasn’t put away
[Verse 7]
A D
But I’m glad I’ve had no parents
E7 A
To care for me or cry
A D A
For now they will never know
A E7
The horrible death that I die
A D A
And I’m also glad I’ve had no friends
A D
To see me in disgrace
A D
For they’ll never see that hangman’s hood
E7 A
Wrap around my face
[Verse 8]
A D
Farewell unto the old north woods
E7 A
Of which I used to roam
A D A
Farewell unto the crowded bars
A E7
Of which’ve been my home
A D A
Farewell to all you people
A D
Who think the worst of me
A D
I guess you’ll feel much better when
E7 A
I’m on that hanging tree
[Verse 9]
A D
But there’s just one more question
E7 A
Before they kill me dead
A D A
I’m wondering just how much
A E7
To you I really said
A D A
Concerning all the boys that walk
A D
F# road just like me
A D
Are they enemies or victims
E7 A
Of your society?