West Memphis Moon

By Chuck Prophet



Chuck Prophet album cover

About the song:


Like a lot of people, I saw the documentary film Paradise Lost and was deeply affected by the plight of the West Memphis Three. I wrote this song with Jimmy Bruno. The State of Arkansas seems to be in no hurry to publicly admit to the grave errors that were made in sentencing Damien Echols to death by execution. You can learn more about the West Memphis Three by visiting the excellent website www.wm3.org.
– Chuck Prophet




Lyrics

(Chuck Prophet / Jimmy Bruno)

Yellow tape along the river's edge
Helicopters circling overhead
Three little boys coming home from school
Gone forever 'neath the Memphis moon

Well the sheriff jumped on me - yes he did
Leaned on me till I cried and beg
I cried for my mother, never felt so alone
The dawn was breaking and my will was gone

They said, "There's two more boys where you came from
You'll implicate them both before we're done
We want that Echols boy with the moody eyes
He and that peach faced kid by his side"

The trial was over soon as it begun
The truth still buried out there in the mud
Father forgive me, here what I say
Father forgive this walking razor blade

Three more boys who should be back in school
Gone forever, 'neath the Memphis moon
(really gone)

A flicker of hope, a drop of light
Mothers arms reaching in the night