Ewan MacColl & Peggy Seeger - The Lag's Song

Disclaimer: I do not own anything in this video. No copyright infringement intended. Everything belongs to their respective owners. Album: Chorus from the gallows (1959) Lyrics: When I was a young lad, sometimes I'd wonder, What happened to time when it passed. Then one day I found out that time just lands in prison, And there it is held fast. When I was a young man, used to go courtin' And dream of the moon and the stars; The moon is still shining, the dreams they are all broken On these hard iron bars. Look out of the window, over the roofs there, And over the wall see the sky; Just one flying leap and you could make your getaway- - - - If only you could fly. The prison is sleeping, the night watch is keeping Its watch over seven-hundred men, And behind every cell door, a sleeping lag is dreaming, O, to be free again! Go write me a letter, addressed to my number, But say you remember my name, So I'll be reminded of how the world outside goes, And feel a man again. Got time on my hands, I've got time on my shoulders, Plenty of time on my mind, There's no summer nor winter when once you land inside here, Just that old prison grind. Words and Music by Ewan MacColl, © 1960, by Stormking Music Source: The Ewan MacColl-Peggy Seeger Songbook, Oak Publications, 1963

Added 14 Jun 2026