Walls Of Red Wing - Ramblin' Jack Elliott, John Prine

Oh, the age of the inmates

I remember quite freely:

No younger than twelve

No older 'n seventeen

Thrown in like bandits

Cast off like criminals

Inside the grounds

Around the walls of Red Wing

From the dirty old mess hall

You marched to that brick wall

Too weary to talk

And too tired to sing

Oh, it’s all afternoon

You remember your home town

Inside the grounds

Around the walls of Red Wing

Oh, the gates are cast iron

And the walls are barbed wire

Stay far from the fence

With the electricity sting

And it’s keep down your head

And stay in your number

On the inside grounds

Around the walls of Red Wing

Oh, it’s fare-thee-well

To the deep hollow dungeon

Farewell to the board-walk

That takes you to the screen

And farewell to the minutes

They threaten you with it

Inside the grounds

Around the walls of Red Wing

It’s many a guard

That stands around smiling

Holding his club

Like he was a king

Hoping to get you

Behind a wood piling

Inside the grounds

Around the walls of Red Wing

The night aimed shadows

Through the crossbar windows

And the wind punched hard

To make the wall-siding sing

It’s many a night I pretended to be sleeping

On the inside grounds

Around the walls of Red Wing

As the rain rattled heavy

On the bunk-house shingles

And the sounds in the night

That made my ears ring

Until the keys of the guards

Clicked the tune of the morning

On the inside grounds

Around the walls of Red Wing

Oh, some of us’ll end up

In St. Cloud Prison

And some of us’ll wind up

To be lawyers and things

And some of us’ll stand up

To meet you on your crossroads

From inside the grounds

Around the walls of Red Wing

From the inside grounds

Around the walls of Red Wing