It's not always the land
That's the hardest and bitterest
It's the man
Who has the hard bitter attitude
Toward his fellow man
Or toward the land
Such is the case
That you will find
In this following song
About a man's attitude
Toward his fellow man
And toward this land
I walked in the big yard
To feel the warm sunshine
A ninety-nine year man
Stepped over to me
He offered a smoke
And he said as I rolled it
"Tomorrow I'm going
To break out and go free
They watch us by sunlight
They watch us by spotlight
But I know a way
For a man to go free
Down under my cell
I'm digging a tunnel
The walls of a prison
Will never hold me"
I told him that I'd have
No part of his scheming
My time would be over
One year from today
His eyes blazed with fire
And he looked right through me
Bitter but broken
Again he did say
"They watch us by sunlight
They watch us by spotlight
But I know a way
For a man to go free
Down under my cell
I'm digging a tunnel
The walls of a prison
Will never hold me"
Next morning at breakfast
The old man was missing
Then we all heard the rifles
High up on the wall
He'd gone through the tunnel
Just like he had promised
And they said he was crying
When they saw him fall
"They watch us by sunlight
They watch us by spotlight
But I know a way
For a man to go free
Down under my cell
I'm digging a tunnel
The walls of a prison
Will never hold me"