Ooh, Oh, Ahh.
If you got a little soul, they gone throw you in the hole.
Where you can't see the light of day, and you wouldn't want it that way.
With your mama crying, your papa walking round,
Baby sister on the pavement, baby brother with his head hanging down.
Baby brother with his head hanging down.
Because a brother's doin' time for a crime he didn't make.
A brother's doin' time. Will he get an even break?
If you got a little soul, oh they'll throw you in the hole.
Where your days are dark and cold, so I'm told.
With your mama crying, my papa walking round,
Sister on the pavement, baby brother with a lonesome frown.
Brother with a lonesome frown.
Because a brother's doin' time for a crime he didn't commit.
Brother's doin' time. Tell me how much will he get?
Oh, one to life for a robbery. He didn't have no gun in his hand. But he was there on the scene so it makes no difference to the man.
Mama crying, papa walking round, sister down on the pavement,
Oh brother with his head hung down.
Brother's doin' time. And after that time is spent,
You can look inside a jail house and see who's there by percent.
(Oh it's steal wasn't that much, it goes over there?)
There's some people that been here so long that they just don't even care.
Oh and the baby crying, oh mama papa too.
Oh, sister's on the pavement and brother's got the blues.
Yeah. Everybody's got the blues.
Oh it's just brother's doin' time for a crime they didn't make.
Brother's doin' time. I think it's a sad mistake.
And if you got a little soul, they gone throw you in the hole.
Where you can't see the light of day and you wouldn't want it that way, no, no.
Oh and your mama crying, oh and your papa too.
Oh and your sister's on the pavement, ah with the blues.
Oh brother's got the blues.
Ooh, yeah. Oh. Oh. Woah. Ah.