Another song inspired by what prisoners said to me.
lyrics
We all wear a mask he said, to hide us in our skin
We only show the mask, he said, keep real stuff well locked in
There’s no room here for your heart, he said, there’s no room for your tears
They’ll just pull you apart, he said, play football with your fears.
We all wear a mask, he said, to cover up our eyes
I won’t take off the mask, he said, I need it for disguise
You’re not at home in here, he said, no matter what you think
You don’t make friends in here, he said, they’d push you to the brink.
I can’t take off my mask, he said, I can’t remember how
I feel I am the mask, he said, it’s what I look like now
I love my kids and wife, he said, but they can’t help me here
I feel I’ve lost my life, he said, it’s cost me far too dear.
Don’t judge me by the mask, he said, don’t judge me by my crime
I’m really not the mask, he said, but it’s got stuck with time
I’d like to change my fate, he said, to alter how it’s gone
But I think it’s all too late, he said, I think it’s all gone wrong.
And yet, and yet he talked with me
Of love and pain and pride
And now I wonder what he’ll do
When the prison door stands wide.
credits
from A Twist in the Story,
released April 29, 2022
Mike O'Connor -fiddle
Steafan Hannigan - percussion and duduk
Anne is best known for her song "Icarus", recorded and performed by a number of different singers, including Martin Simpson and Nic Jones. "Astrolabe" is her ninth solo album.
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