38 Years Old

12 men broke loose in 73
 From Millhaven Maximum Security
 And 12 pictures lined up across the front page
 Seems the Mounties had a summertime war to wage
 Well, the chief told the people they had nothing to fear
 Said, "The last thing they want to do is hang around here"
 They mostly came from towns with long French names
 But one of the dozen was a hometown shame
 Same pattern on the table, same clock on the wall
 Been one seat empty 18 years in all
 Freezing slow time, away from the world
 He's 38 years old, never kissed a girl
 He's 38 years old, never kissed a girl
 We were sitting round the table, heard the telephone ring
 Father said he tell them if he saw anything
 Heard the tap on my window in the middle of the night
 Held back the curtain for my older brother Mike
 See my sister got raped so a man got killed
 Local boy went to prison, man's buried on the hill
 Folks went back to normal when they closed the case
 They still stare at their shoes when they pass our place
 My mother cried, "The horror has finally ceased"
 He whispered, "Yeah, for the time being at least"
 And over her shoulder on the squad car megaphone
 Said, "Let's go, Michael, son, we're taking you home"
 Same pattern on the table, same clock on the wall
 Been one seat empty 18 years in all
 Freezing slow time, away from the world
 He's 38 years old, never kissed a girl
 He's 38 years old, never kissed a girl
 He's 38 years old, never kissed a girl