There's a reform school in Texas.
And I know the tales that they tell are true.
'Cause I've been through it buddy,
And I wanna tell the truth to you.
Well, they'll knock you down and kick you
And they'll beat you till you're black and blue.
But as long as you are there.
Ain't nothing you can do.
Well, I got sent to GatesvilleIn June of 64.
I hadn't been there but five long days.
When I got beat to the floor.
And the man just stood there grinnin',
Thinkin' he was bad.
And the shape his soul was in,
Would make a preacher sad.
Well they'll beat you up in Hackberry,
And they'll stomp you on the Hill.
They'll knock you down on the Riverside,
And kick you in the Valley still.
And the boys up on Terrace,They got spots of blue.
And God bless the boy,Who can live through Mountain View.
I said, God be with you boy,Don't let it happen to you.
Well a group of men from Austin,
Were sent to investigate.
But the evidence was hidden,
And the men just couldn't wait.
So they left there a-thinkin',Everything was OK.'
Cause the boys there in Gatesville,
Were too afraid to say.
That they'll beat you up in Hackberry,
And they'll stomp you on the Hill.
They'll knock you down on the Riverside,
And kick you in the Valley still.
And the boys up on Terrace,
They got spots of blue.
And God bless the boy,
Who can live through Mountain View.
I said, God be with you boy;
Don't let it happen to you.
Jack Olin Hotchkiss © 1968/2009
