The Ballad of Jimmy Scott
Reflections of Redemption: The Ballad of Jimmy Scott
Lyrics
When you're older you feel something
As you age, you experience emotions.
When you're young you can't feel a thing
In youth, emotions might be difficult to feel.
I've started lots of fires
The speaker has initiated many conflicts.
But I've learned from them
Despite mistakes, the speaker has gained wisdom.
The Baker brothers said I wasn't dirty enough
The Baker brothers judged the speaker negatively.
They wanted to hang me from a tree
They considered severe punishment, possibly lynching.
I'm stuck with this number on my chest
The speaker bears a symbolic mark of shame.
It didn't fail because of me
Claiming innocence, the speaker denies responsibility.
Warden, damn right I moved those bags around
The speaker acknowledges moving contraband for the warden.
Warden, you locked me up
The warden incarcerated the speaker.
To keep those pitchforks in the ground
Imprisonment prevents public outrage or rebellion.
When you're hurting you'll blame anything
In pain, people tend to blame external factors.
They wanted to string me up the Bayview Bridge
There was a threat of the speaker being hanged at Bayview Bridge.
Webster haunts me every single day of life
Webster's influence is a haunting presence for the speaker.
And it's what gave me this sentence
Consequences of a past action led to the current sentence.
I never claimed that I was perfect
The speaker doesn't claim perfection.
I've stumbled and drank my share and ten
The speaker has made mistakes but faced consequences.
But when the newsman asked for sandbaggers
The speaker volunteered during a crisis involving sandbags.
I was there to do my penance
Despite flaws, the speaker attempted to make amends.
Warden, a better man would have put the bottle down
The warden suggests the speaker should have quit drinking.
Warden, I tried my best
The speaker tried but failed at redemption.
But there's no redemption in this town
Redemption is elusive in the town.
And one day soon these walls
The walls of the prison will eventually crumble.
Will crumble into debris
The decay will reveal the impact of cancer on the speaker.
And take what fight the cancer
The degradation takes away what cancer couldn't.
Couldn't, from me
Rudy is considered a vanished entity, and Suzie is a memory.
They said Rudy was a ghost
The Mississippi sunset is a lasting image in the speaker's mind.
Suzie is gone and I'm a memory
The speaker acknowledges disappointing Quincy in the past.
Mississippi sunset in my mind
The heartbreak is evident when witnessing the city's flood.
Is all I'll see
The speaker's last memories will be of the Mississippi sunset.
Quincy, when I was young
A direct acknowledgment of letting down someone named Quincy.
I know I let you down
The speaker expresses remorse for disappointing Quincy.
Quincy, my heart broke
The heartbreak for the speaker intensifies.
Watching my hometown city drown
The speaker observes the drowning of their hometown.
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