Prison To Heaven

Swaying, it's a hard decision
Am I gonna leave this prison?
If they tell me one more time to get in line
I'm gonna breakaway

But I'm sure that every single prison guard
That walks around this prison yard
Is gonna have a shot at me
If he sees me running for the gate

I'd be better off dead, full of lead
Rather than delay one more day
Let my mind and my body
Rot away in this awful place

I'd be floating way up so high looking down
At all my buddies, saying
"You chumps, you suckers
I hope one day you can find the guts to escape"

Well, you might say
"How come you so sure heaven's where you're going?
You ain't exactly been showin' the ways of an angel
Glory bound"

I must admit you got a point
But I got a feeling
The ceiling ain't so far
And Yahweh just may want a couple words with yours truly

So I'll be walking right up to those big pearly gates
Saying, "Hey Saint Peter, ol' Buddy, ol' pal
How's the family, how's work, how's the kids?
What do you say, how's about crackin' those gates?
And lettin' a fine, upstanding fellow like myself join the club?"

And he might say
"Ah, Mr. Avett you can save it
I ain't gonna be buying any of that lyin'
Jive, hustlin', boldfaced, fake con-man nonsense
That you used to get by with down there on Earth"

And I'll say, "Come on
Surely you and God of all people ought to know
I was innocent of those crimes, I told you so
Every night by myself in that cell
Surrounded by nothing but grey and quiet"

Well, dear God
Maybe I should just be talking straight to you
The truth is I lost my way
Somewhere along the way
And if you got a minute, would you spend it with a sinner?
Just long enough to give me some directions home