William

(album: Chris Knight - 1998)

Well I remember William
We weren't much more than kids
His family lived in a run down shack
Like the rest of the white trash did
Now me and ole William
We used to smoke out behind the barn
Till his daddy caught him stealing cigarettes
I still think he broke William's arm

When I was drinking my first beer
Ole William was getting high
He got kicked out of school for fighting and drugs
And he stayed out late at night
He never said too much about home
Or the bruises on his back
I asked him about 'em one time
But he never answered back

Yeah William
You grew up hard and mean
You weren't the apple of your mama's eye
And your daddy was a burned out fiend
For what it's worth now William
I know you could've had a heart of gold
But I don't think you ever knew that you had one
I don't think you were ever told

He spent a year in reform school
'Cause he broke in a hardware store
Now me and William lost track of each other
I never saw him much anymore
The last time I seen William
He was married and had two kids
He tried to raise 'em like he was supposed to
But sometimes he raised 'em like his daddy did

Well just last Sunday morning
Momma called me on the phone
Said there's a story in the paper about William
She just thought I might like to know
He got shot by a city cop
While he was robbing a local drugstore
He was survived by two hungry kids, a wife
And a pool of blood on the floor