Jimmy Sparks

(album: III - 2019)

Jimmy Sparks went into bars and opened up his mouth
Said some things to wounded men that they could not allow
When it came to talking he was always on the run
Everyone knew what the man had done
Oh, he'll take you for a ride

Jimmy believed in the American way
A prison guard he worked hard and made the minimum wage
He found his freedom locking men in a cage

Jimmy loved Bonnie and he fathered a kid
A baby boy but the mother had other reasons to live
She left the baby with a note on the bed

It was a struggle just to cover the rent
His jail cut hours and now his little baby was sick
He needed money and he needed it quick
It was three AM

Oh my love oh my love
Could you spare my blood, spare my blood?

Jim woke his son and buckled him in the car
They drove an hour from town and found a gambling hall
The waitress babysat the boy at the bar

After an hour Jimmy doubled his cash
He took his kid and his winnings as the dealer just laughed
He said they leave but then they always come back
That's a fact

Out on the road they caught a stranger in the lights
His thumb was up and the son asked if the man was alright
Jim said you never give a hitcher a ride
Cause it's us or them
It was three AM

Oh my love oh my love
Could you spare my blood, spare my blood?

Twenty years gone and now the boy is a man
Old Jimmy's habits got him mountains and mountains of debt
And now the sharks are coming back to collect

They strip the jewelry and the boots off Jim's feet
They kick him out of the car and say we'll give you a week
Eight miles from home and only eighteen degrees
It was three AM

Oh my love oh my love
Could you spare my blood, damn my blood?

Now Jimmy's son is trying to make his way home
His graveyard shift had ended and it was starting to snow
He sees an old man walking barefoot alone
It was three AM

His old man waved his hands with tears in his eyes
But Jimmy's son just sped up and remembered daddy's advice
No you don't ever give a hitcher a ride
'Cause it's us or them
'Cause it's me or him
It was three AM
Three AM