the big day has come the bell is sounding i run my hands through my hair one last time outside the prison walls the town is gathering people are trading crime for crime everyone needs to see the prisoner they need to make it even easier they see me as a symbol, and not a human being that way they can kill me say it's not murder, it's a metaphor we are killing off our own failure and starting clean standing in the gallows everyone turned my way i hear a voice ask me if i've got any last words to say and i'm looking out over the field of familiar eyes somewhere in a woman's arms a baby cries i think guilt and innocence they are a matter of degree what might be justice to you might not be justice to me i went too far, i'm sorry i guess now i'm going home so let any amongst you cast the first stone now we've got all these complicated machines so no one person ever has to have blood on their hands we've got complex organizations and if everyone just does their job no one person has to understand you might be the wrong color you might be too poor justice isn't something just anyone can afford you might not pull the trigger you might be out in the car and you might get a lethal injection 'cause we take a metaphor that far the big day has come the bell is sounding i run my hands through my hair one last time outside the prison walls the town has gathered people are trading crime for crime people are trading crime for crime people are still trading crime for crime
Ani DiFranco Lyrics brought to you by danah boyd since 1995