I had read that a young bob Dylan and many of his young folk boom contemporaries would write songs around newspaper articles that they would come across, thus chronicling in song some of the current affairs of their times. I had never done that before, so while sitting in Bradley Airport, I read an article about a young Vermont man who had been sentenced to death.
lyrics
Lights out, Junior
So the jury said and they said it twelve to nil
Oh they gave it to you
They said the interstate only gave you time to kill
And you said "That's fine, for red ran the wine from the day I learned to bawl " Leave the lights on, Ma, and watch me fall - someday I'll kill 'em all."
And summer sail away, and take you on your way
And on the morning when they take you down and they all call round to see you go
They'll be wondering - why'd you shoot her down.
You know they'll still miss her so
And your sister will cry remembering the wine and the way you learned to bawl
" Leave the lights on, Ma, and watch me fall - someday I'll kill 'em all."
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