Ballad Of Donald White

My name is Donald White, you see

I stand before you all

I was judged by you a murderer

And the hangman's knot must fall

I will die upon the gallows pole

When the Moon is shining clear

And these are my final words

That you will ever hear

I left my home in Kansas

When I was very young

I landed in the old Northwest

Seattle, Washington

Although I'd a-traveled many miles

I never made a friend

For I could never get along in life

With people that I met

If I had some education

To give me a decent start

I might have been a doctor or

A master in the arts

But I used my hands for stealing

When I was very young

And they locked me down in jailhouse cells

That's how my life begun

Oh, the inmates and the prisoners

I found they were my kind

And it was there inside the bars

I found my peace of mind

But the jails they were too crowded

Institutions overflowed

So they turned me loose to walk upon

Life's hurried tangled road

And there's danger on the ocean

Where the salt sea waves split high

And there's danger on the battlefield

Where the shells of bullets fly

And there's danger in this open world

Where men strive to be free

And for me the greatest danger

Was in society

So I asked them to send me back

To the institution home

But they said they were too crowded

For me they had no room

I got down on my knees and begged

Oh, please put me away

But they would not listen to my plea

Or nothing I would say

And so it was on Christmas Eve

In the year of '59

It was on that night I killed a man

I did not try to hide

The jury found me guilty

And I won't disagree

For I knew that it would happen

If I wasn't put away

And I'm glad I've had no parents

To care for me or cry

For now, they will never know

The horrible death I die

And I'm also glad I've had no friends

To see me in disgrace

For they'll never see that hangman's hood

Wrap around my face

Farewell unto the old north woods

Of which I used to roam

Farewell unto the crowded bars

Of which've been my home

Farewell to all you people

Who think the worst of me

I guess you'll feel much better when

I'm on that hanging tree

But there's just one question

Before they kill me dead

I'm wondering just how much

To you I really said

Concerning all the boys that come

Down a road like me

Are they enemies or victims

Of your society?