RATPACK JOHN

In an area down south, it was becoming dawn
Early creatures move around, silently
Over the hill came Ratpack John
He's tough as he walks down violently

He's had many homes, but never stayed long
Ratpack John born on the mountain top
He's never done anything wrong
Except he accidentally killed a cop

It was late September, Ratpack John was walking along
a very twisted beaten trail
trying to whistle an old pioneer's song
but his memory was at fail

An officer of the law jumped out
And then he pulled out a gun
John screamed "hey, what is this about?"
The officer kicked him, and said, "you're the one!"

John wanted to know what he did, but before he could shout
The officer had hit him hard on the head
both of their hands were on the gun, and then a shot rang out
and near John's feet, right on the ground, the officer laid dead

John was scared as he searched the body for a clue
He found a warrant for the arrest of a man named Ark, who looked like him
It was all a mistake, but the officer's dead, he didn't know what to do
He could report it, but would they believe it, the chances were very slim

It was a couple days later, when the story hit the town
Hank Hawk walked into the bar and sat at the biggest table
He said to the others, "hey, did you hear, a body has been found."
The other's asked who it was, and Hank answered, "Officer Gable"

"Do they know who killed him?"  the men inquired,
Hank answered, "They don't know, but they're searching hard,
They can't seem to find the gun that was fired
But when they do, the assailant's gonna' be forever barred

Ratpack John ventured back to his cave
After throwing the gun in the pond
He couldn't think of anything else that would save
him from being thrown into bond

He packed up his stuff and moved off the mountain top
He went off to find the man who shared his looks
He set out to finish the task of the deceased cop
He went to the libraries and he searched all the books

He had no luck and he heard even worse news
He heard a blacksmith talking to a curious man
They found footprints made by the murderer's shoes
and could tell they belonged to a very poor man

They knew the poorest man around was Ratpack John
He knew he was now at the top of their list
By now they searched his cave, and found he was gone
He worried and thought, "Why couldn't the gun have missed?"

Well, Hank Hawk was walking through his field
Lookin' to get himself the $1,000 reward
He knew what John looked like, they once made a deal
Ratpack John had stayed in hank's barn before

In exchange for food and shelter, John baled hay 
he did the work and he helped what he could
Hank thought "I can't picture him as a killer, but that's okay.
I thanked him back then, and the reward is too good

It was 14 days after the cop had been shot
They had traced John's steps as far as the library
In the library, they didn't find out a whole lot
The deputy said "there's nothing here," the sheriff said, "on the contrary."

They asked the librarian which way he had gone
The librarian told 'em he headed toward the west
So they left and continued their search for John
And Hank hawk followed them, on his own financial quest

Illness found John and he was forced to stop 
At a river where he rested for the rest of the night
He thought a lot about the dead cop
and he was in pain, and was losing his sight

John heard a noise, and he got to his feet
A lean and hungry looking-man emerged from the trees 
He asked John if he had anything to eat
John's vision took hold and he said, "My God, you look like me!"

Hank Hawk had been walking near the river
And he began running with great speed
When he heard a scream that made him shiver
He came out in a small clearing and found his biggest lead

He saw Ark standing over a man on the ground
Hank ran over and tackled Ark, who was standing 
He knocked Ark out cold, then saw the guy on the ground
It was Ratpack John, saying "It's all a misunderstanding"

Well, the cops came soon after Hank stabbed the man
Ratpack John was barely able to walk
They questioned what happened, and why he ran
But the similarity between their faces was still a big shock

John told 'em he knew he would not be believed
So he set out on his own to find the man who had his face
To prove his innocence, he just had to leave
And now it's finally over, I can return to my place

Well, after recovering, Ark was brought to trial
Hank and John were released, and they both got on with their life 
They only had to be questioned for a little while
Ark was found guilty of his previous murder, and went to prison for life

The cop's death was also pinned on Ark
John was gonna' tell 'em, but he was hesitant
So he just kept that part of the story left in the dark
Because it was an unfortunate accident






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Email:  rwainio@nmu.edu