Chris Knight Follow

I remember William,
we weren't much more than kids
His family lived in a run down shack,
like the rest of the white trash did.
Now me n ole William
used to smoke out by the barn
'till his daddy caught him stealin' cigarettes
I still think he broke Williams arm
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Yea William, you grew up hard and mean
you weren't the apple of your mammas eye
and your daddy was a burned out fiend
for what it's worth now William
I know you coulda had a heart of gold
I don't think you ever knew that you had one
I don't think you were ever told.
When I was drinkin' my first beer
ole William was gettin' high
He got kicked outta school for fightin' and drugs
and he stayed out late at night

The last time I seen William
he was married and had two kids
he tried to raise 'em like he was supposed to
but sometimes he raised 'em like his daddy did
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Yea William, you grew up hard and mean
you weren't the apple of your mamma's eye
and your daddy was a burned out fiend
for what it's worth now William
I know you coulda had a heart of gold
I don't think you ever knew that you had one
I don't think you were ever told.
Just last Sunday mornin'
mamma called me on the phone
said there's a story in the paper about William
she just thought I might like to know
He got shot by a city cop
while he was robbin' a local drug store
he was survived by two hungry kids a wife
and a pool of blood on the floor
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