The Trial Lyrics - Phil Ochs

Outside the cats are scratching 

Inside the doors are latching 

On the room, the greedy gloom 

The trial is revealed 

Police are six feet deep 

With switchblades in their teeth 

So no one leaves and they all believe 

This is absolutely real 

Yes, it's real 

And the sergeant says, "Are you ready, boys? 

Get ready, boys 

Aim and fire" 

Order in the court 

People ready for the sport 

They squirm and squeak and lick their beaks 

And grease their feathers down 

Everybody rise 

Judge is here with bathroom eyes 

A grizzly bear, he hugs his chair 

And the greedy gavel pounds 

Yes, it pounds 

And the sergeant says, "Are you ready, boys? 

Get ready, boys 

Aim and fire" 

In the dungeon [unverified] falls 

Writing appeals upon the wall 

And the priest in prayers is not even there 

So precious is his time 

To the stake he's tied 

The swallows sing the triggers slide 

He bids goodbye to the wattery sky 

That plunges from his mind 

From his mind 

And the sergeant says, "Are you ready, boys? 

Get ready, boys 

Aim and fire"