Dr. Hook
Текст песни 99 and Me

Spoken :
Alright now, I'd like to tell you all a story about me and my
brother Billy T.
You see , now when we were just little boys , we use to go visit
my grandma and grandpa for two weeks out of every summer. My
grandpa's name was Henry Toliver Sawyer and he was a guard at
the Atmore state prison farm. Going up there for two weeks out
of every summer we got to know some of them convicts pretty good.
They didn't give 'em no name up at Atmore . No, they just give
'em a number. So I'm going to tell you all about a couple of
friends of mine now. Tell you about old Fifty. Look out Fifty
- take off runnin' now !

Fifty run into the sun
He know he can't get away
Henry brought him down with his double barrel shotgun
Sent him to a better place
Mississippi winds keep calling
Fourteen years since I seen you all
The boss man's heavy hand keeps fallin'
God I'd rather be dead

Spoken :
You know we got to be just a little bit older, they used to let
us train them old bad dogs. They'd say now, now you boys take
off out through that cornfield, get up across that creek up into
the woods and find yourself a tall tree cause I'm going to turn
them dogs loose. Sometimes we'd be out there in them hills, I'd
hear those old dogs coming. Make me think I was a convict. Look
out brother Bill, here they come!

Sound of hound dogs close behind closing in on me
I can't run no more it's done come my time one shot and I'll be free
Mississippi winds keep calling
Fourteen years since I seen you all
The boss man's heavy hand keeps fallin'
God I'd rather be dead

Spoken :
Alright, then about that time my life began to pick up, just
a little bit. Cos I met my old friend Ninty-Nine. They called
him Ninty for short. Now you know Ninty can't read nor write,
but they gotta give him a job on the line. So they make him the
official postman. Now old Ninty he'd take the mail from the front
gate. He'd walk it up to the first house on the line. Now that
was the Warden's house...so be careful Ninty-Nine. He'd hand
the mail to Mrs. Warden. She'd take what was hers and give it
to Ninty and he'd go on down the line. But I remember it was
real hot one Sunday. Me and my grandpa was sittin' out on the
front porch, and we heard word down the line that Atmore was
on fire. And it was a bad fire. It was so bad, they had to send
some of the prisoners from Atmore up to Kilby to finish their
term. And sure enough they wanted to send my friend Ninty-Nine.
But he don't want to go...


Late on a rainy July Sunday, Atmore started to burn
They had to send old Ninty against his will to Kilby to finish his term
We heard there was a break from Kilby, somebody we all know
They found old Ninty-Nine knocking on the front door trying to
get back into Atmore...
Mississippi winds keep calling
Fourteen years since I seen you all
The boss man's hand keeps fallin'
God, I'd rather be dead

Words & Music by Ray Sawyer
Published by Horse Hairs Music/BMI