Verse
D G
My name is Donald White, you see
A7 D
I stand before you all
D G D
I was judged by you a murderer
A7
And the hangman’s knot must fall
D G D
I will die upon the gallows pole
G
When the moon is shining clear
D G
And these are my final words
A7 D
That you will ever hear
[Verse 2]
D G
If I had some education
A7 D
To give me a decent start
D G D
I might have been a doctor or
D A7
B master in the arts
D G D
But I used my hands for stealing
G
When I was very young
D G
And they locked me down in jailhouse cells
A7 D
That’s how my life begun
[Verse 3]
D G
Oh, the inmates and the prisoners
A7 D
I found they were my kind
D G D
It was there inside the bars
D A7
I found my peace of mind
D G D
But the jails they were too crowded
D G
Institutions overflowed
D G
So they turned me loose to walk upon
A7 D
Life’s hurried tangled road
[Verse 4]
D G
And there’s danger on the ocean
A7 D
Where the salt sea waves split high
D G D
And there’s danger on the battlefield
D A7
Where the shells of bullets fly
D G D
And there’s danger in this open world
D G
Where men fight to be free
D G
And for me the greatest danger
A7 D
Was in society
[Verse 5]
D G
So I asked them to send me back
A7 D
To the institution home
D G D
But they said they were too crowded
D A7
For me they had no room
D G D
I got down on my knees and begged
D G
“Oh, please put me away”
D G
But they would not listen to my plea
A7 D
Or nothing I would say
[Verse 6]
D G
And so it was on Christmas Eve
A7 D
In the year of ’59
D G D
It was on that night I killed a man
D A7
I did not try to hide
D G D
The jury found me guilty
D G
And I won’t disagree
D G
For I knew that it would happen
A7 D
If I wasn’t put away
[Verse 7]
D G
But I’m glad I’ve had no parents
A7 D
To care for me or cry
D G D
For now they will never know
D A7
The horrible death that I die
D G D
And I’m also glad I’ve had no friends
D G
To see me in disgrace
D G
For they’ll never see that hangman’s hood
A7 D
Wrap around my face
[Verse 8]
D G
Farewell unto the old north woods
A7 D
Of which I used to roam
D G D
Farewell unto the crowded bars
D A7
Of which’ve been my home
D G D
Farewell to all you people
D G
Who think the worst of me
D G
I guess you’ll feel much better when
A7 D
I’m on that hanging tree
[Verse 9]
D G
But there’s just one more question
A7 D
Before they kill me dead
D G D
I’m wondering just how much
D A7
To you I really said
D G D
Concerning all the boys that walk
D G
B road just like me
D G
Are they enemies or victims
A7 D
Of your society?