I'd like to hold my head up And be proud of who I am But they won't let my secret go untold I paid the debt I owed them But they're still not satisfied Now I'm a branded man out in the cold When they let me out of prison I held my head up high Determined I would rise above the shame But no matter where I travel The black mark follows me I'm branded with a number on my name I'd like to hold my head up And be proud of who I am But they won't let my secret go untold I paid the debt I owed them But they're still not satisfied Now I'm a branded man out in the cold If I live to be a hundred Guess I'll never clear my name ‘cause everybody knows I've been in jail No matter where I'm living I've got to tell them where I've been Or they'll send me back to prison if I fail Now I'm a branded man out in the cold