I remember William, we wern't much more than kids
His family lived in run down shack like the rest of the white trash did
Me and ol' William, we use to smoke out behind the barn
"Til his daddy caugh thim stealin' cigarettes, I still think he broke William's arm
When I was havin' my first beer, ol' William was getting high
He got kicked out of school for fightin' and drugs and he stayed out late at night
he never said too much about home or the bruises on his back
I asked him about 'em one time, but he never answered back
Chorus:
William, you grew up hard and mean
You weren't the apple of your mama's eye and your dad was a burned out fiend
For what it's worth now, William, I know you could've had a heart of gold
I don't think knew that you had one, I don't think you were ever told
He spent a year in reform school 'cause he broke in a hardware store
Me and William lost track of each other, didn't see him much any more
Last time I seem William he was married and had two kids
He tried to raise 'em like he was supposed to, but sometimes he rasied like his daddy did
Chorus
Just last Sunday mornin', Mama called me on the phone
She said, "There's a story in the paper 'bout William", she just thought I might like to know
He was shot by a city cop while he was robbin' a local drug store
he's survived by two hungry kids and a wife and a pool of blood on the floor
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Lyrics submitted by Joe.