I'm not the man
written by natalie merchant
performed by 10,000 maniacs
from the album Our Time In Eden

it crawls on his back
won't ever let him be
stares at the walls
until the cinder blocks can breathe
his eyes have gone away
escaping over time
he rules a crowded nation
inside his mind

he knows that night like his hand
he knows every move he made
late shift
the bell that rang
a time card won't fade
10:05 his truck pulled home
10:05 he climbed the stair
about the time he was accused
of being there

but I'm not the man
he goes free
as I wait on the row
for the man to test the rope
he'll slip around my throat
and silence me

on the day he was tried
no witness testified
nothing but evidence
not hard to falsify
his own confession
was a prosecutor's prize
made up of fear
of rage
and of outright lies

but I'm not the man
he goes free
as the candle vigil glows
as they burn my clothes
as the crowd cries,
"hang him slow"
and I feel my blood go cold
he goes free

call out the KKK
they're wild after me
and with that frenzied look
of half-demented zeal
they'd love to serve me
up my final meal

who'll read my final rite
and hear my last appeal
who struck this devil's deal