Walls of Red Wing (Studio Outtake - 1963)

[Verse 1]

Oh, the age of the inmates I remember quite freely

No younger than twelve, no older ’n seventeen

Thrown in like bandits and cast off like criminals

All inside the walls on the grounds of Red Wing

[Verse 2]

From the dirty old mess hall, you march to the brick wall

Too weary to talk and too tired to sing

And it’s all afternoon you remember your hometown

All inside the walls, the walls of Red Wing

[Verse 3]

Oh, the gates are cast iron and the walls are barbed wire

Stay far from the fence with the ’lectricity sting

And it’s keep down your head and stay in your number

All inside the grounds of the walls of Red Wing

[Verse 4]

Oh, it’s fare thee well to the deep hollow dungeon

Farewell to the boardwalk that takes you to the screen

And farewell to the minutes, they threaten you with it

All inside the grounds of the walls of Red Wing

[Verse 5]

It’s many a guard that stands around smiling

Holding his club like he was a king

Hoping to get you behind the wood piling

All inside the grounds of the walls of Red Wing

[Verse 6]

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 a-sleeping

All inside the grounds of the walls of Red Wing

[Verse 7]

As the rain rattled heavy on the bunkhouse shingles

And the sounds of the night they made my ears ring

Till the keys of the guards clicked the tune of the morning

All inside the grounds of the walls of Red Wing

[Harmonica Solo]

[Verse 8]

Oh, some of us will end up in St. Cloud Prison

And some of us’ll end up to be lawyers and things

And some of us’ll stand to meet you on your crossroads

From inside the grounds of the walls of Red Wing