Don'T Do the Crime

Amos was a boy from the backwoods, lived his life back there up in the sticks. Hunting, fishing, swimming, and drinking, was the way he would get all his kicks. Well now Billy showed up that summer, why he came to those hills no one knows. But he was always flashin’ his cash, strutting in his fancy city clothes. Billy said that to impress the girls, they would need to have themselves a stash. So they took his dad’s old 22, went to the Piggly to steal some cash. Chorus: He did not want to do it, but he let the devil talk him into it, now he’s sitting in that cell doing his time. Like daddy always told him, that if you ain’t willing to pay the piper, then you best not think about doing the crime. They only wanted a few dollars, never thought it would do any harm. They did not know the cops were coming, because they’d tripped the silent alarm. When they showed up with their lights flashing, he knew right then there’d be hell to pay. There was tear gas and windows smashing, he dropped down on both his knees to pray. Amos was huddled in the corner, Billy went and jumped up on a chair. He yelled, “Come on and get me copper”, just try to take me if you ain’t scared. Chorus: He did not want to do it, but he let the devil talk him into it, now he’s sitting in that cell doing his time. Like daddy always told him, that if you ain’t willing to pay the piper, then you best not think about doing the crime. By the time the whole thing was over, Billy was all stretched out on the floor. Amos was bound up in steel handcuffs, and being escorted through the door. All the news cameras were rolling, them big bright lights had him nearly blind. Shoving microphones into his face, asking him what was his frame of mind. At the trial, the judge said “guilty”, Amos’s eyes filled with stinging tears, "But, “I’m gonna be easy on you and only give you twenty-five years.” Chorus: He did not want to do it, but he let the devil talk him into it, now he’s sitting in that cell doing his time. Like daddy always told him, that if you ain’t willing to pay the piper, then you best not think about doing the crime.