Courtroom burned
In that late July heat
I sat on the stand
Next to the judge
I was burning in my seat
“Tell us where you were
Last Friday night, Son
When we found your wife
And another man
Shot dead by your own gun.”
“Like I said before
I was working, you know?
I was upstate
Laying rail
For the North Atlantic B & O.”
“Got home the next day
That’s when I heard
Sheriff stopped by
With a deputy
That’s when they gave me the word.”
It was too late by then
Not much I could do
They hauled me in
And locked me up
Said, “Son, we believe it was you.”
The jury came back
The verdict they read
I stood up in silence
But to my surprise
“Not Guilty,” they said
I walked away that day
Free as I could be
Not a man walking today
With a story to tell
Walking as lucky as me
Sitting back on my porch
I’ll never see that woman again
I chuckled to myself
In the cool evening breeze
Smiling that sinner’s grin