BY RHOZIER “ROACH” BROWN
Lorton, VA
(Written in 1969)
Two hands resting on bars of steel
Wondering was all this really real
Living from day to day using dope
Death was waiting with a steel rope.
Living a life I thought was pretty cool
Moving in a hurry and breaking all the rules
Stepping on anyone who got in my way
Never expecting any dues to pay.
I was hooked quite early, and dying quick
Staying high and fly, and pretty slick
The world passed by and I was in a deep nod
To awake a young old man and find no God.
Wine and reefers were a part of my song
Getting my kicks and doing wrong
It’s a miracle, how I managed to survive
Riding a pale white horse, bent on suicide.
Her eyes are moist, bursting from within
Alone and crushed, her man in the pen
Patiently she tried and done all she could
It didn’t work, it just wasn’t any good.
I killed all the love that stood in my path
Love was for suckers, and I was in a Hip Bag
If only I had listened, or even cared
My youth and dreams, wouldn’t die in here.
I knew all the angles, and how to score
But all it’s brought me was time and a steel door.
A few days of fun and years of pain
Is the price I pay for doing my thing.
Now I hurt in a way I’ve never known
For the rest of my life, I’ll be alone.
Here in the House of Time, grown men cry
I, too, am one of them and I know why
My brand of cigarettes tells of a hip young fool
Who destroyed his life and family being real KOOL.