I'm Not the Man

by 10,000 Maniacs

From the album: Our Time in Eden

Track 13 of 13 on Our Time in Eden (1992).

Duration: 3:25

Our Time in Eden cover art

Lyrics for I'm Not the Man

It crawls on his back, won't ever let him be Stares at the walls until the cinder blocks can breathe His eyes have gone away, escaping over time He rules a crowded nation inside his mind He knows that night like his hand He knows every move he made Late shift, the bell that rang, a time card won't fade 10: 05 his truck pulled home 10: 05 he climbed his stair About the time he was accused of being there But I'm not the man He goes free as I wait on the row for the man To test the rope, he'll slip around my throat and silence me On the day he was tried, no witness testified Nothing but evidence, not hard to falsify His own confession was a prosecutor's prize Made up of fear, of rage and of outright lies But I'm not the man He goes free as the candle vigil glows As they burn my clothes As the crowd cries, "Hang him slow!" And I feel my blood go cold, he goes free Call out the K K K, they're wild after me And with that frenzied look of half-demented zeal They'd love to serve me up my final meal Who'll read my final rite and hear my last appeal? Who struck this devil's deal?

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More from Our Time in Eden

  1. Noah's Dove
  2. These Are Days
  3. Eden
  4. Few and Far Between
  5. Stockton Gala Days
  6. Gold Rush Brides
  7. Jezebel
  8. How You've Grown
  9. Candy Everybody Wants
  10. Tolerance
  11. Circle Dream
  12. If You Intend
  13. I'm Not the Man