Wayward Son
Born in a world of sin
Papa drowned in his whiskey and gin.
Came my step-father,
Took to beatin' me and my mother.
Each night, she holds me
Prayin': please let me be.
The years pass us by,
I sit and wonder why, oh why?
Must life be so cruel?
Perhaps I really am a good fer nothin' fool!
With mamma gone to Heaven,
I was still a boy of barely seven.
Then at the age of sixteen,
The sheriff, judge and jury called me mean.
For nearly killin' a man.
Ain't no one gonna save me, no one can.
Almost killed my step-papa,
I'm so sorry, my dear mamma.
I served my time
Ain't nobody out there could give a dime!
Till chance brought back Candy
Now a foreman of the Ponderosa ranch, how dandy!
Got no choice now,
But to help Ben Cartwright somehow.
Through this riot in Nevada State Prison,
Will I make it out alive or give them a reason
To throw away the key
A man, growing old, never to be free?
Kept my smart mouth shut,
As I watch my inmate take a knife to the gut.
Warden offers me a choice:
But will I truly ever have my own voice?
I tried, Lord knows I did,
But, Candy, I ain't no more just a kid!
To be free,
Is what I want if asked of me.
But, nobody asked, did they?
Nobody would give me the time of day.
Accused I was again,
I just don't know where to begin?
What will it take?
To believe in me for goodness sake!
Innocent until proven guilty
If only it happened in reality.
Patience, Candy tells me.
Trust and believe in others is the key.
Well, it took me some time,
And got my name cleared of a crime.
Now, I look up to the stars,
There be no more iron bars.
To lock me in,
And crush my spirit from within.
Mamma must be proud.
I hope you are, I say these words aloud.
I miss you.
Ain't nobody love me, the way you do.
I watch the rising of the sun.
And I ain't no longer on the run.
My name is King. Griff King,
Ain't no more your wayward son.