Prison Yard Walk
The Americans Lyrics

Well, you wake up in the morning
To a rapping on your door
Someone working for the warden
Says, Get your feet on the floor
You go walking down the hallway
You feel the eyes on you
And you don't know what they're thinking
You don't know what they're going to do

You do the prison yard walk One hour a day
With your head in the clouds
Your feet feel far away
You do the prison yard walk
And you're feeling fine
Taking it one day at a time

Inmate receiving
New men walk in
Jeans once worn baggy
Now worn thin
You hand 'em their Bob Barkers
And they look you in the eye
You're just twenty-three
And the world's already passing you by

You do the prison yard walk
With no laces in your shoes
We all must pay
For the lives we choose
You do the prison yard walk
And your feet are flying
You're taking it one day at a time

The girl who used to write you
Don't write you no more
You stared at her picture
Till your heart got sore
You know she's going places
You're not allowed
But your memory gets hazy
When you think about her now

And the prison yard walk
Is only a blur
You walk it with them
But you're thinking of her
You do the prison yard walk
And keep an empty mind
And keep taking it one day at a time

When you've heard every word
In your dying mind
And it's the same old voice
You've been hearing your whole life
You keep yourself busy
And do the best you can do
And they call that killing time
But it's the time that winds up killing you

You do the prison yard walk
One hour a day
And it's hard to believe
It could be any other way
You do the prison yard walk
Right down the line
You're taking it one day at a time

Contributed by Michael Y. Suggest a correction in the comments below.