D                          G
There's a tiny little window and the sun comes shining through
D                                  G       Em
Dancing with the dust that's in my cell
          D                                  G
There's a sparrow sitting on the sill and he stays for a minute or two
         D                 G                     A
But he's frightened by the ringing of the bell

          D                              G               
There's a bed that I must lie on when at night I take my rest
      D                                  G       A
And a chair for me to sit on through the day
    D                      G
The men who wait beside me always know what's best
      D               G                A                   
For a man who doesn't have too much to say

        D                             G                    A
Throw a laugh into the corner, blow a tear against the wall
D                                 G
Learn a game to play, improve the mind
   D                                     G
Confess your sins, you sinner, and think how the seconds fall
D                 G                    A
Leave all earthly cares and woes behind

    D                                 G             Em
And when my short affair with life is ended and I'm gone
         D                                G     
Will you tell the world the story of John Lee?
D                              G                  
All you see is nothing and yet everything lives on
D             G                 A
I was born to pay the hangman's fee