Victim of the Dawn

[Verse 1]
It's a bitter fruit to swallow
For a child who loved her sweets
And it's a hard crime to follow
Down the dark and the dirty streets
But they say that she was teasin'
That's how she was in the wrong
They say that crime has got no reason
She is just a victim of the dawn

[Verse 2]
In the shadows of the gallows
Where the smirkin' lawyers shine
And the lies and innuendoes
They keep that man from doin' time
And the money tips the balance
Where justice once belonged
And the verdict of that jury
Is just the victim of thе dawn

[Verse 3]
Now the shattered lifе she is leadin'
Is just written off as fate
And every heart that is bleedin'
Is just a mirror of her hate
And we can all feel bad together
Preachin' that twenty-second psalm
And resign ourselves forever
As just the victims of the dawn

[Verse 4]
Now all our hopes for changin'
Are now just goin' down the drain
Burnin' books in West Virginia
Or sayin' prayers at Notre Dame
Perhaps the priests who die in brothels
Are the saviors of us all
Or their hastily dressed-up bodies
Are just the victims of the dawn