Down the Hall

I had the flu in the prison infirmary
My last day I looked up and saw
A man wheeled around the corner
Down to skin and bones, that's all

I asked the nurse where he was goin'
She said, "Hospice down the hall
He probably won't be in there long
Any day we'll get the call"

I asked if they let family in
She said, "Not really at the end
Truth is, a lot don't have someone
No friends or next of kin"

The thought of those guys goin' out alone
It hit me somewhere deep
I asked, could I go sit with 'em
For some comfort and relief?

Next thing you know, I'm on the ward
Doin' things you can't believe
Like shavin' Julio's bony head
Crackin' him up when I wash his feet

Oh well, I used to run when I saw Tyrone
Knowin' your place's what it's all about
And now he's here doubled up in pain
Cancer eatin' him from the inside out

I sit and wait outside his stall
To help him when he's done
Whatever shame we might have felt
Well, all that's come undone

Well, I can't undo the wrong I did
Give back the life I took
But maybe when it comes my turn
I'll get a second look

I don't know 'bout religion
Only know what I see
And in the end when I hold their hand
It's both of us set free