Arnold Nash

He was a good prisoner, a bad citizen A terrible family man Living a life of crime, just do the math Half his life in prison The other half on the run I'll tell you all the story of Arnold Nash I got a call from the warden When they found the empty cell I said, I'm retired, but I'll tell you what I know Most men do their time Wishing they were back at home But Arnold, well, he's got no place to go We were buddies back in grade school He'd come to the house and play No one knows what set him on his path Some would say a broken home Can turn a good kid bad Some insist he was never more than trash In '81 my dad was sheriff And I aimed to fill his shoes As Arnold was starting up his own career He'd work twice as hard at stealing Than he would at an honest job He'd take anything from dope to fishing gear He was a good prisoner, a bad citizen A terrible family man Living a life of crime, just do the math Half a life in prison The other half on the run This here is the story of Arnold Nash Well, I chased him through the woods of Maine A good many times Once through a driving snow in his stocking feet He'd be locked up for a while A year or two at most And then he'd be right back out on the street He was a burglar and a thief With two escapes to boot In '91 he crossed over the line He beat to death his neighbor For a VA check to cash And so Arnold went up state for the big time With a 45-year sentence He thought he was in for good He spent a quarter century inside And for his good behavior They shaved off 18 years They said, Arnold, you'll soon pack your bags and ride So I reassured the warden No need to worry, son This old prisoner, he won't be going far Sure enough, when he got hungry He come out of the shady woods Walked right up to the blue state trooper's car These days I'm in retirement And I guess old Nash is too And I know what he saw on the Bangor Road He saw comfort in that cruiser Saw three squares and a bed Relieved to come to the end of this episode He was a good prisoner, a bad citizen A terrible family man Living a life of crime, just do the math Half a life in prison The other half on the run Now you all know the story of Arnold Nash Now I've told the true story of Arnold Nash