Song | Lonesome Death Of Hattie Carroll |
Artist | Cage the Elephant |
Album | Chimes Of Freedom: The Songs Of Bob Dylan Honoring 50 Years Of Amnesty International |
William Zanzinger killed poor Hattie Carroll | |
With a cane that he twirled around his diamond ring finger | |
At a Baltimore hotel society gath’rin’ | |
And the cops were called in and his weapon took from him | |
As they rode him in custody down to the station | |
And booked William Zanzinger for first-degree murder | |
But you who philosophize disgrace and criticize all fears | |
Take the rag away from your face | |
Now ain’t the time for your tears | |
William Zanzinger, who at twenty-four years | |
Owns a tobacco farm of six hundred acres | |
With rich wealthy parents who provide and protect him | |
And high office relations in the politics of Maryland | |
Reacted to his deed with a shrug of his shoulders | |
And swear words and sneering, and his tongue it was snarling | |
In a matter of minutes on bail was out walking | |
But you who philosophize disgrace and criticize all fears | |
Take the rag away from your face | |
Now ain’t the time for your tears | |
Hattie Carroll was a maid of the kitchen | |
She was fifty-one years old and gave birth to ten children | |
Who carried the dishes and took out the garbage | |
And never sat once at the head of the table | |
And didn’t even talk to the people at the table | |
Who just cleaned up all the food from the table | |
And emptied the ashtrays on a whole other level | |
Got killed by a blow, lay slain by a cane | |
That sailed through the air and came down through the room | |
Doomed and determined to destroy all the gentle | |
And she never done nothing to William Zanzinger | |
But you who philosophize disgrace and criticize all fears | |
Take the rag away from your face | |
Now ain’t the time for your tears | |
In the courtroom of honor, the judge pounded his gavel | |
To show that all’s equal and that the courts are on the level | |
And that the strings in the books ain’t pulled and persuaded | |
And that even the nobles get properly handled | |
Once that the cops have chased after and caught ’em | |
And that the ladder of law has no top and no bottom | |
Stared at the person who killed for no reason | |
Who just happened to be feelin’ that way without warnin’ | |
And he spoke through his cloak, most deep and distinguished | |
And handed out strongly, for penalty and repentance | |
William Zanzinger with a six-month sentence | |
Oh, but you who philosophize disgrace and criticize all fears | |
Bury the rag deep in your face | |
For now’s the time for your tears |
William Zanzinger killed poor Hattie Carroll | |
With a cane that he twirled around his diamond ring finger | |
At a Baltimore hotel society gath' rin' | |
And the cops were called in and his weapon took from him | |
As they rode him in custody down to the station | |
And booked William Zanzinger for firstdegree murder | |
But you who philosophize disgrace and criticize all fears | |
Take the rag away from your face | |
Now ain' t the time for your tears | |
William Zanzinger, who at twentyfour years | |
Owns a tobacco farm of six hundred acres | |
With rich wealthy parents who provide and protect him | |
And high office relations in the politics of Maryland | |
Reacted to his deed with a shrug of his shoulders | |
And swear words and sneering, and his tongue it was snarling | |
In a matter of minutes on bail was out walking | |
But you who philosophize disgrace and criticize all fears | |
Take the rag away from your face | |
Now ain' t the time for your tears | |
Hattie Carroll was a maid of the kitchen | |
She was fiftyone years old and gave birth to ten children | |
Who carried the dishes and took out the garbage | |
And never sat once at the head of the table | |
And didn' t even talk to the people at the table | |
Who just cleaned up all the food from the table | |
And emptied the ashtrays on a whole other level | |
Got killed by a blow, lay slain by a cane | |
That sailed through the air and came down through the room | |
Doomed and determined to destroy all the gentle | |
And she never done nothing to William Zanzinger | |
But you who philosophize disgrace and criticize all fears | |
Take the rag away from your face | |
Now ain' t the time for your tears | |
In the courtroom of honor, the judge pounded his gavel | |
To show that all' s equal and that the courts are on the level | |
And that the strings in the books ain' t pulled and persuaded | |
And that even the nobles get properly handled | |
Once that the cops have chased after and caught ' em | |
And that the ladder of law has no top and no bottom | |
Stared at the person who killed for no reason | |
Who just happened to be feelin' that way without warnin' | |
And he spoke through his cloak, most deep and distinguished | |
And handed out strongly, for penalty and repentance | |
William Zanzinger with a sixmonth sentence | |
Oh, but you who philosophize disgrace and criticize all fears | |
Bury the rag deep in your face | |
For now' s the time for your tears |