Not Innocent Enough
Injustice Echoes: Philip Workman's Struggle Beyond the Bars
Lyrics
What the hell was I doing there
Questioning why the speaker was present at the fast-food parking lot
In that fast-food parking lot
Describing the location where the speaker was
They say I robbed the restaurant
Claim that the speaker committed a robbery at the restaurant
and a Memphis cop got shot
Alleging that a police officer in Memphis was shot during the incident
I was trying to feed my habit
Admitting to trying to satisfy an addiction
I was scared and I was high
Expressing being frightened and under the influence of drugs
It was never my intention
Stating the lack of intention for anyone to die
That anyone should die
Reiterating the absence of intention for fatalities
Just how many of us are innocent enough
Rhetorical questioning regarding innocence
Just how many of us are innocent enough
-Just how many of us are innocent enough
-My name is Philip Workman
Introduction with the speaker's name
And I'm not innocent enough
Claiming not to be innocent
It's not a long walk from a trailer park
Highlighting the proximity from a trailer park to a jail in Tennessee
to a Tennessee cell block
Emphasizing the speaker's incarceration
But I got saved behind these bars
Stating a change or spiritual transformation while in prison
Soon I'll give my soul to God
Implying readiness to surrender to a higher power
Reverend Joe is praying for me
Mentioning religious support and prayers
And the family left behind
Referring to the deceased's family
They say my bullet took his life
Suggesting the accusation that the speaker caused someone's death
but that bullet was not mine
Denying personal responsibility for the fatal shot
Just how many of us are innocent enough
Repetition of the earlier questioning about innocence
Just how many of us are innocent enough
-Just how many of us are innocent enough
-My name is Philip Workman
Reiteration of the speaker's name and lack of innocence
And I'm not innocent enough
I had no money for a lawyer
Commenting on the lack of resources for legal defense
To fight the system from within
Expression of the justice system's bias against the poor
There's no justice for the poor
Disparaging the fairness of the system
From the witness they brought in
Referencing a possibly unreliable witness brought forth
Circumstance and random chance
Indicating life circumstances and chance occurrences
I never meant to do no harm
Asserting no intention to cause harm
Now that cop and I, we've both died
Comparing the fates of the cop and the speaker, both affected by drug use
from that needle in my arm
Implied death due to drug injection
And there where those who called for mercy
Mentioning appeals for leniency before the end
In those final days
Highlighting pleas for mercy near the speaker's execution date
Even the officer's daughter
Even the daughter of the deceased cop pleaded for the speaker's reprieve
cried to grant me stay
Emphasizing the emotional impact on the officer's family
but I'm not innocent enough
Reiteration of the lack of innocence despite pleas for mercy
I'm not innocent enough
-I'm not innocent enough
-I'm not innocent enough
-Just how many of us are innocent enough
Reiteration of the earlier rhetorical questioning about innocence
Just how many of us are innocent enough
-Just how many of us are innocent enough
-My name is Philip Workman
Repetition of the speaker's name and claim of lack of innocence
And I'm not innocent enough
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