Sixteen Men

Sixteen men sit in the dark
Outside the jail, hammers ring
Sixteen men sit alone with their thoughts
In the morning, sixteen men will swing

We never swore fealty to their rule
But they've named us traitors anyway
The price for loyalty, we will be paying soon
I think of the last time I held my boy close to me, saying:

Just run away from here my son
Be far away when the morning comes
I believe there is anything I could face
As long as I know that you are safe

American soldiers killed forty at Embudo
When they marched on Taos, I sent my boy away
Those of us left sought refuge in the church at the pueblo
But those drunken artillerymen forgot about God that day

They leveled the church and I awoke in chains
The trial was short, the verdict swift
But when my boy came to the window of my cell tonight
In the darkness I felt my spirits lift

Just run away from here my son
Don't let them see that you have come
I believe there is anything I could face
As long as I know that you are safe

Sixteen men are led to the gallows
A crowd of people have gathered to see
Sixteen men each and everyone a patriot
Are about to be killed in the land of liberty
They call this America now, the land of the free
This is America now, but not for me