Rotting on remand — Bragg Billy

#This file is the author's own work and represents their interpretation of the # #song. You may only use this file for private study, scholarship, or research. # >From [email protected] (Francois Rousseau) Subject: AOTW: Billy Bragg: Rotting On remand Date: Thu, 15 Apr 1993 05:51:51 GMT

Rotting On Remand

I stood before the judge that day As he refused my bail

And I knew that I would spend my time Awaiting trial in jail I said there is no justice As they led me out of the door And the judge said, "This isn't a court of justice son This is a court of law".

They first sent me to Windsor And then to Stoke on Trent

In a holding cell in Liverpool Three days and nights I spent My solicitor can't find me And my family don't know I keep telling them that I'm innocent They just say, "Come on son, in you go."

I was picked up on suspicion of something I haven't done Here I sit in 'F' wing waiting for my trial to come It's a cruel unusual punishment that society demands Innocent till proven guilty, rotting on remand

I ended up in this jail Built in 18-82

When one man to one prison cell Was a Victorian value Now three of us are squeezed in here And you can't escape the smell Of that bucket in the corner And we eat in here as well

They let me out of this cage To slop that bucket out

To get my food and bring it back And if I'm lucky, get a shower Apart from one hours exercise I'm locked in here all day You don't turn criminals into citizens By treating them this way

Is the prize of law and order the stench of Wormwood Scrubs With judges quick to sentence sending more down from above G D g It's a cruel unusual punishment that society demands Innocent till proven guilty, rotting on remand G D A D ...

Francois Rousseau Laboratoire Incognito (Computer Languages) Universite de Montreal, Canada E-mail: [email protected]