Jim Croce - The Wall (American Recording)

[Verse 1]

Well, there's 

lots of strang

e men in cell-

block ten,
              
but the strang

            
est of them al

l
             
was a pal of m

              
ine who would 


spend his time
            
just staring a

            
t the wall, st

              
aring at the w


all.

[Verse 2]

In his hand wa

s a note that 

his gal had wr

ote,
              
which proves t

              
hat crime don'

   
t pay
             
the very same 

             
gal that h'd r

obbed and stol

e for,
            
naming her wed

            
ding day, nami

              
ng her wedding


 day.

[Chorus]
             
As he looked a

              
t the wall so 


strong and tal

l,
             
I heard him so

             
ftly curse, "n


obody at all
             
has ever made 

              
that wall, but

            
 I'm gonna be 

    
the first,
             
I'm gonna be t

   
he first."

[Verse 3]

Well the Warde

n walked by, s

aid "Son don't

 try,
              
cause I'd hate

            
 to see you fa

ll
             
cause there ai

              
n't no doubt w

           
e're gonna car

ry you out
            
if you ever to

             
uch that wall,

             
 if you ever t

          
ouch that wall

."

[Verse 4]

But a year has

 gone by since

 he made his t

ry;
              
I can still re

   
call
             
how hard he tr

            
ied and the wa

y he died,
            
but he never t

             
opped the wall

             
, he never top

        
ped the wall.

[Chorus]
             
Many a man who

      
 has shook thi

s can,
             
and I know a m

      
an who tried.
             
The newspapers

             
 called it a j

ailbreak plan,
            
but I know it 

            
was suicide; I

              
 know that it 

       
was suicide.


(Song goes to "Cotton Mouth River")

[Verse 1]
             
Well I know th

              
at I shouldn't

     
 have done it
            
I know it just

        
 wasn't right
              
Cause they got

              
 me backed up 

             
to the Cottonm

     
outh river
             
and I can't cr

           
oss late at ni

ght.

[Chorus]
              
Yeah, there's 

             
lots of storie

              
s told about t

  
he Cottonmouth

 river,
             
 they tell the

           
m time and aga

in,
             
 about the men

              
 who tried to 

             
cross that riv

     
er by moonligh

t
            
 never were he

          
ard from again

.

[Verse 2]
             
Well if I had 

              
my life to liv

  
e over,
             
I'd've gone to

          
 work that day
              
instead of goi

              
ng into town a

             
nd shooting hi

  
m down
             
for a thing I 

             
never heard hi

  
m say.

[Chorus]
              
Yeah, there's 

             
lots of storie

              
s told about t

   
he Cottonmouth

 river,
             
they tell them

          
 time and agai

n,
             
about the men 

              
who tried to c

             
ross that rive

     
r by moonlight
            
never were hea

        
rd from again.

[Verse 3]
             
Well, I'd just

              
 made it throu

       
gh the canebre

ak
            
and got one fo

          
ot in the mud.
              
I can hear the

              
 hounds a-bayi

             
n' but the sna

             
ke around my a


nkle's
             
telling me my 

             
running days a

   
re done.

[Chorus]
              
Yeah, there's 

             
lots of storie

              
s told about t

   
he Cottonmouth

 river,
             
they tell them

          
 time and agai

n,
             
about the men 

              
who tried to c

             
ross that rive

      
r by moonlight
            
never were hea

        
rd from again.