My name is Donald White you see, i stand before you all I was judged by you a murderer, the hangman's knot must fall I will die upon the gallows pole, when the moon is bright an' clear An' these are my final words that you will ever hear. Oh, i left my home in Kansas when i was very young I landed in the old north west, Seattle, Washington Although i'd traveled many miles i never made a friend For i never got along in life with people that i have met. If i had some education to give me a decent start I might have been a doctor or a master in the arts But i used my hands for stealing when i was very young An' they locked me down in jailhouse cells, that's how my life begun. Oh, the inmates an' the prisoners i found they were my kind An' it was there inside the bars, i found my peace of mind But the jails were overcrowded, institutions overflowed So they set me loose to walk upon life's hurried tangled road. An' there's danger on the ocean where the salt sea waves split high An' there's danger on the battlefield where the shells of bullets fly An' there's danger in this open world where man starve to be free For me the greatest danger was in society. So i asked them to send me back to the institution home But they said they were too crowded, for me they had no room I got down on my knees an' begged, "Oh please put me away'' But they would not listen to my plea or nothin' i would say. An' so it was on Christmas eve in the year of '59 It was on that night i killed a man, i did not try to hide The jury found me guilty an' i don't disagree For i knew what it would happen if i wasn't put away. And i'm glad i've had no parents to .... for me or cry For now they will never know the horrible death that i die An' i'm also glad i've had no friends to see me in disgrace For they'll never see that hangman's hood wrap around my face. Farewell to all you ... to the old north woods which i used to roam Farewell to the crowded bars which have been my home Farewell to all you people that think the worst of me I guess you minds will be at ease when i'm on that hangin' tree. But there's just one more question before they kill me dead I'm wonderin' just how much to you i really said Concernin' all the boys that walk a road just like me Are they enemies or victims of your society? My name is Donald White you see, i stand before you now I was judged by you a murderer, the hangman's knot must fall I will die upon the gallows pole, when the moon is bright an' clear An' these are my final words that you will ever hear.