The Loved Ones - Johnny 99 lyrics

Well, they closed down the auto plant in Mahwah late that month Ralph went out looking for a job but he couldn't find none He came home too drunk from mixing Tanqueray and wine Got a gun, shot a night clerk, now they call him Johnny 99 Down in the part of town where when you hit a red light you don't stop Johnny's waving his gun around, threatening to blow his top 'Til an off-duty cop snuck up on him from behind Out front of the club Tip Top, they slapped the cuffs on Johnny 99 Well, the city supplied a public defender, but the judge was mean John Brown He came into the courtroom and stared young Johnny down Well, the evidence is clear gonna let the sentence, son, fit the crime Prison for 98 and a year and call it even, Johnny 99 A fist fight broke out in the courtroom, they had to drag Johnny's girl away His mama stood up and shouted, "Judge, don't take my boy this way" Well, son, you got any statement you'd like to make 'Fore the bailiff comes to forever take you away Judge, judge, I had debts no honest man could pay The bank was holding my mortgage and were gonna take my house away Well, I ain't saying that makes me an innocent man But it was more than all this that put that gun in my hand Well, your honor, I do believe I'd be better off dead And if you can take a man's life for the thoughts that's in his head Well, sit back in that chair and think it over, judge, one more time Gonna shave off my hair and put me on that execution line