Suppertime in the hole, suppertime in the hole.

I shamed my family, shamed my home.

(tell my sister, Jane)
Suppertime...
(tell my sister, Jane)


Old Saint John on Death Row,
he's just waiting for a pardon.


All the white boys in their Sta-Prest slacks,
they're home for the summer from college.

Stayin' out late, gettin' rowdy at the bar,
they're looking for trouble uptown.
They come up my block, 'bout 5 or 6 of them,

smashing they bottles in the gutter.
Yellin' all kinds of obscenities,
about Woman and God and Law.


Another suppertime in the hole, suppertime...


I shamed my family, shamed my home.
(tell my sister, Jane)
Suppertime...

(tell my sister, Jane)

A young girl turned the corner with a clerk dress on,

that girl was my sister.
Just got off the night shift at Pennington's Place,
just wanna go home, get some sleep.

Boys grab her by the waist with the caffeine eyes,
their hands all frigid, electric.
I picked up a brick from my Papa's front yard

and threw it at the tallest boy's face.
Well blood was streaming like a well got sprung,
I couldn't believe what I had just done.

Well that other boy ran and this one stayed
on the ground and he would never move again.


Old Saint John on Death Row,
he's just waiting for a pardon.


All us boys on Death Row,
we're just waiting for a pardon.


Yours truly on trial, I testify.
Got to keep on running 'til the well gone dry