Sonny James - A Mile and a Quarter lyrics

A mile and a quarter of treacherous water keeps men in Alcatraz Three men did what folks have claimed for years could not be done Three men broke through prison walls and left there on the run Tried to make a liar out of anyone who says Once you're on the rock there's no escape from Alcatraz A mile and a quarter of treacherous water keeps men in Alcatraz A mile and a quarter of treacherous water keeps men in Alcatraz They dug holes with sharpened spoons and then one night these three Climbed a shaft a twelve foot fence and took a raft to sea Not the first to try but the first to almost get away From that fortress in the heart of San Francisco Bay Two men tried in '37 and three in '38 Then again in '43 four convicts made a break Jumped a cliff into the cold swift water of the bay Three were caught and one was shot just as he swam away Three men thought they had it made but traces have been found Memos at a rain soaked raft tell us these men were drown Which just goes to prove it's true what everybody says Once you're on the rock there's no escape from Alcatraz