Two prisoners they were seated, beneath a prison wall
And to each other were telling, the story of their fall.
“I once had a pretty wife” said the elder of the two
“I once had a pretty wife, and a little baby too”.

One night when I came home, from working hard all day
I found the fire had gone out, and my wife had run away
So I took to drinking, what else could I do?
I mixed with bad companions, and became a burglar too.

One dark night I set out, to rob a mansion grand.
My tools were in my pocket and revolver in my hand.
As I climbed through a window, I heard a voice so mild
I fired a shot, and then I cried “My god I’ve shot my child”

Not a friend in the whole world,
not a friend that I could call.
I’ve prayed to God that I might die,
‘stead of staying beneath this prison wall.