Derek Bentley
By
Peter Afendoulis
C G F C G F
The hangman he stands ready, the trap is set to go
C Em7 Am F G
They place a rope around your neck and why you do not know
F G C F G C
You stand there on the scaffold, all alone and so afraid
Am G F C G C
But the Law must have its vengeance, the piper must be paid.
F G C F G C
Ch: And you must understand, just what you're dying for
Am F C G C
A victim of society – A scapegoat for the Law
The building was deserted, the people all had left
You climbed upon the rooftop, intent on petty theft
Your parents must have told you boy, that stealing was a crime
But they didn't know the penalty was death before your time
"Surrender now" the policeman said; "Surrender to the Law"
You let yourself be taken and stood and watched in awe
As Craig your young companion said, "I'll make a fight of it!"
With a rusty old revolver and shells that didn't fit
The bullets started flying, a policeman fell down dead
You crouched there on the roof-top and covered up your head
They captured your companion but too young to hang they say
So they sent you to the Bailey and swore your life away
The hangman he stands ready, the preacher's said "Amen"
And you a lad of 19 years, with a mental age of ten
The hangman pulls the lever and the rope around your throat
Ensures the death of Bentley, the sacrificial goat
© Peter Afendoulis, 1978
Recorded on "There’s only one F in Afendoulis" Folkland Records FL1018 (1978)