Jailhouse Door

The jailhouse, the jailhouse,

It is an awful place.

There was a time when only crime

Would merit such disgrace.

But now if you should chance to say

You want to see a better day,

You're liable to be put away

With bars across your face.

Chorus:

Open up the jailhouse door,

Open up the jailhouse door,

Open wide, open wide for Democracy's inside

And we need her as we never did before.

The heroes, the heroes,

Who fight for peace and bread,

They should be given glory

But they're given chains instead,

And if you want good company,

For goodness' sake don't look at me,

They're all put under lock and key

For fear they might be red.

(Chorus)

It's lonely, it's lonely,

Within those prison gates,

And Liberty's a prisoner, too,

Who languishes and waits,

But when she hears our voices sound,

She'll know we've got reaction downed

That wants to make a prison ground

Of these United States.

Open up the jailhouse door,

Open up the jailhouse door,

Open wide, open wide for Democracy's inside

And we're never going to lose her any more.