one day a friend took me aside
and said, "i have to leave you.
for buying something from a friend
they say i have done wrong.
for protecting the name of a man
they say i'll have to leave you.
so now i'm bidding you farewell for much too long.

and here's a song to sing for every man inside.
if he can hear you sing it's an open door.
there's not a rich man there who couldn't pay his way
and buy the freedom, that's a high price for the poor.

kids in texas, smoking grass, ten year sentence, comes to pass.
misdemeanor in ann arbor, ask the judges why?

another friend said to her kids
i'm gonna have to leave you
for selling something to the man
i guess i did wrong.
and although i did the best i could
i'm gonna have to leave you.
so now i'm kissing you farewell for much too long.

and here's a song to sing for every man inside.
if he can hear you sing it's an open door.
there's not a rich man there who couldn't pay his way
and buy the freedom, that's a high price for the poor.