@ALBUM: BABBACOMBE LEE ------------------------------------ "John Lee, the jury has found you guilty of wilful murder; and the sentence of the court upon you is that you be taken from this place to a lawful prison; and there to a place of execution; and there suffer death by hanging; and that your body be buried within the precincts of the prison in which you shall have been last confined; and may the Lord have mercy upon your soul." @SONG: PART I Little did I think when the judge first spoke Those awful words to me That I would feel again the cold winds blow And a heart would beat in 'Babbacombe' Lee I was born to lead a life of sorrow I've friends hang their heads in shame Growing tired and weary of the morrow Tortured by my terrible name When I was fifteen, my father called to me Saying "Now you are a man and all men work There's a lady and they say her name's Miss Keyes Her pony's very old, it needs a nurse" For eighteen months I worked for her at ?Hadley Glen? She was like a mother to me But time goes slowly when you're thinking wishfully Of all the other places to be There were boats drifting in the harbour There were sailors talking in the town That's the life for a boy who wants to wander For a man who doesn't want to settle down @SONG: PART II I was sixteen now and full of life, life was full of things to see Grown up in my little town and only seen Torquay So it's off I went to Newton Abbot to get myself the deeds to sign My father took them and tore them up, saying "That's no life for a boy of mine" "John, my son, don't join the Navy, there's no good in it, I know Plant your seeds on solid ground and watch your harvest grow John, my son, don't join the Navy, that's clay that's underneath your skin John, my son, don't join the Navy, don't go leaving your kith and kin" A boy must breathe and . . . or call himself a failure So I would see some foreign shores and I would be a sailor So I went off to my mother for a week or more and wiled and wheeled and won my way Father put the pen to paper in the fields at lunch the very next day @SONG: PART III (Instrumental) @SONG: PART IV (THE SAILOR'S ALPHABET) A's for the anchor that lies at our bow B's for the bowsprit and the jibs all lie low C's for the capstan we all run around D's for the davits to lower the boat down (Chorus) Merrily, merrily So merry sail we, no mortal on earth like a sailor at sea Heave away, haul away, the ship rolls along Give a sailor his grog and there's nothing goes wrong E's for the ensign that at our mast flew F's for the forecastle where lives our crew G's for the galley where the salt junk smells strong And H is the halyards we hoist with a song (Chorus) I's for the eyebolts, good for the feet J's for the jibs that stand by the lee sheet K's for the knighthead where the petty officer stands L's for the leeside, hard found by new hands (Chorus) M's for the mainmast, it's stout and it's strong N's for the needle that never points wrong O's for the oars of our old jolly boats And P's for the pinnace that lively do float (Chorus) Q's for the quarterdeck where our officers stand And R's for the rudder that keeps the ship in command S is for the stunsells that drive her along T's for the topsail, to get there takes long (Chorus) U's for the uniform, mostly worn aft V's for the vangs running from the main gap W's for water, we're on a pint and a pound And X marks the spot where old Stormy was drowned (Chorus) Y's for yardarm, needs a good sailor man Z is for Zoe, I'm her fancy man Z's also for zero in the cold winter time And now we have brought all the letters in rhyme (Chorus) @SONG: PART V (JOHN LEE) John Lee, your headache's growing, the cold wind's blowing But the sea's without a ripple John Lee, your forehead's damp, your muscles cramp And the sea can't use a cripple (Chorus) John Lee, you're turning around your plate again Oh, John Lee John Lee, you're turning around your plate again Oh, John Lee John Lee's been made a freeman, his heart's a seaman But his flesh won't make a sailor Working in a big hotel, waiting for the bell That's ringing for his labour (Chorus) John Lee, your chances are good, you better touch wood We think things must get better John Lee, you've a friend so true, she wants to help you Miss Keyes has sent a letter (Chorus) "Dear John, come and work the Glen, just write me when And I'll send someone to meet you" John's gone to where he started from, he's not worked long, just beginning to belong "It hasn't been a very good day, the missus wants to halve my pay Close the door and douse the light, it's quiet at night when she's tucked in tight Sometimes I feel, when they're all in bed, it's almost like the whole world's dead So I lay me down to sleep, I pray thee Lord my soul to keep" (Chorus) (Chorus) "The customary quiet of Babbacombe, a residential suburb of Torquay, was greatly disturbed early on Saturday morning and the peaceful inhabitants roused to a state of intense alarm and terror by one of the most frightful tragedies that human devilment could plan or human fiend could perpe- trate. The name of the victim was Miss Emma Anne Whitehead Keyes, an elderly lady of some sixty-eight years. The name of her home, the scene of her tragedy, was 'The Glen'. She was found early in the morning, lying on her dining room floor. Her throat had been horribly cut and there were three wounds on her head. It was evident that her murderer had also attempted to burn the corpse." @SONG: PART VI (BREAKFAST IN MAYFAIR) "The world has surely lost it's head, the news is full of crimes There's robberies in The Telegraph and there's murders in The Times And always more obituaries and even one of these Concerns the brutal slaughter of one old Miss Emma Keyes The police have got their man, they're sure, he never left the scene Indeed, he raised a hue and cry, a most unusual thing An arsonist, a murderer, his soul will soon be frying He's young but old enough to kill and not too young for dying Now it seems the populace will queue to see him stand in court To hear him speak his wicked lies while smiling at his thoughts This arrogant young ruffian is obviously guilty Though nowhere does it say exactly how or why he killed her" "Forget it dear, it's not the first, there's bound to be another The way you carry on you'll have us thinking she's your mother This man called Lee has had his day and soon he'll be forgotten So put that paper down before your breakfast goes quite rotten" @SONG: PART VII "Lee," the sargeant said to me, "acting on my discretion It is my solemn duty to arrest you on suspicion" They put me in a carriage, I was driven many miles They locked me in a prison cell to await my trial John 'Babbacombe' Lee John 'Babbacombe' Lee The man who'd defend me was ill and couldn't come His brother came to lend me help and ?a dupe? I was undone "Do just what you want with me, I don't have a choice You'd do as well without me as I'm not allowed to use my voice" The judge sits high and mighty and he asks me who I am The robes he wears impress me but he looks a kindly man "To all who've come to see me, for those that'd prove me guilty May the joker hear your call and show you all more mercy" John 'Babbacombe' Lee John 'Babbacombe' Lee John 'Babbacombe' Lee John 'Babbacombe' Lee The trial was quickly over and my head was full of pain I was slowly going crazy with the same story over again I was tired and aching, I was standing half asleep All I wanted was to take the weight from off my feet John 'Babbacombe' Lee John 'Babbacombe' Lee The jury filed in slowly while we waited their command "Courage, John, you're helpless and you are in heaven's hand" John Lee's not scared of dying, there's a smile in all you'll find Cradled in a deep sleep with a perfect peace of mind I cannot blame the jury, on the evidence they heard It seemed that I was guilty, hanged by too many words I ?spied a couple of? people so I told them what it meant I trust the Lord in heaven and he knows I'm innocent John 'Babbacombe' Lee John 'Babbacombe' Lee @SONG: PART VIII There's a tiny little window and the sun comes shining through Dancing with the dust that's in my cell There's a sparrow sitting on the sill and he stays for a minute or two But he's frightened by the ringing of the bell There's a bed that I must lie on when at night I take my rest And a chair for me to sit on through the day The men who wait beside me always know what's best For a man who doesn't have too much to say Throw a laugh into the corner, blow a tear against the wall Learn a game to play, improve the mind Confess your sins, you sinner, and think how the seconds fall Leave all earthly cares and woes behind And when my short affair with life is ended and I'm gone Will you tell the world the story of John Lee? All you see is nothing and yet everything lives on I was born to pay the hangman's fee @SONG: PART IX The time is near for things to pass, the time for me to leave But as I lie hear all alone, I really can't believe That twenty years I've spent on earth would end in so much grief That the many friendly faces should now stare hatefully A letter home to mother and a letter home to dad Another to my sweetheart, for whom I feel so sad A lock of hair to cling to is all that will remain And the grave inside this prison yard, a stone that bears no name My trials and tribulations are nearly now all gone A murderer I never was and my spirit will live on Jesus, help me in this troubled time, this hour of trouble deep Help me find my peace of mind, help me Lord, to sleep @SONG: PART X Sleep has surprised Mr Lee We'll creep in behind his eyes and, with his eyes, we will see Wherever he goes to, we'll be close behind We'll follow his dreams and we'll stroll in his mind Dream, dream John's in the garden all green With uniforms round him, the hound and the fox can be seen A willow tree leaving its branches to ground Is breathing in time to a bell's hollow sound Dream, dream Dream, dream Nature, their numbers have swelled The sun in the east is the lord of the feast to be held The doomed and the dutiful tread on the dew With frost on their faces and shine on their shoes Dream, dream Looking to earth and to sky John stares at John walking slowly along with a sigh The hand of a stranger takes hold of his arm A voice in his ear says "They'll do you no harm" Dream, dream Dream, dream Dream, dream @SONG: PART XI (THE HANGING SONG) Wake up John, it's time to go Come along John and don't be slow Come along John, don't be slow Wake up John, it's time to go Wake up John, it's time to go A priest joins the procession just to help me kneel With a warder at my elbow and another at my heel Marching in the morning down a path I've lately seen I was sleeping in this garden, am I still within my dream? The echo of my heartbeat is the beating of a drum And all the earth is singing with life's sweet hum We filed in solemn silence, shuffled through a door The place where life is taken for the letter of the law (Chorus) Shake the holy water, summon up the guard Dying's very easy, waiting's very hard A rope was hanging from the roof, a sight which puzzles me I thought a gibbet and a guard would make a gallows tree But now all is revealed, stamped there is the command My feet are on the trapdoor with a rope around my hand And now the executioner is shaking hands with me "My duty I must carry out, you poor fellow," says he A strap is tied around my feet and a bag upon my head And then the noose which separates the living from the dead (Chorus) There he whispers to me "Have you anything to say?" My mouth is dry, my throat is tight, I answer "Drop away" Silence now surrounds me, my heart is beating on The trapdoor hardly moves at all, my life is still my own They stand me in a corner with my hands and feet still bound While a carpenter is called for and an explanation found "The rain has warped the timbers," I hear the hangman say "It's funny but it worked well, I tried it yesterday" "All is mended now," they say, "your ordeal's nearly over Your life's as good as ended," but I hear their voices waver Once more the ?board is shaked? and again I hang in limbo While the guards jump on the trapdoor and my body stands on tip-toe (Chorus) They stand me in a corner with my hands and feet still ties A warder holds onto the noose, the trapdoor opens wide Is it magic or coincidence that keeps me on the brink? It seems to work without me, "Will it kill me now?" I think "Please, I'm tired of living and I really want to die" I was taken to the scaffold and I heard the hangman cry "Lee, I'm truly sorry, forgive these hands of mine" He drew the bolt and I felt the jolt the third and final time My life was spared that morning 'cos it wasn't theirs to take Three's the ?boat? the law requires, a man could feel the stake (Repeat chorus)