Can you see a king
Suspend all disbelief
Walking through the bad part of town,
can you turn the other cheek
Can you forget that you were chattel
Bones in our closet always rattle

Caught in a steel trap
Memory serves it's never gonna pass
Old John Brown
Can we keep from goin' down
Old John Brown
Can we keep from goin' down

A zealous one born too soon
Could he see his city on a hill ruins
Caught in a steel trap
Memory serves it's never gonna pass
Old John Brown
Can we keep from goin' down
Old John Brown
Can we keep from goin' down

Can you pray
Can you take that walk
From Harper's Ferry to Little Rock
Caught in a steel trap
Memory serves it's never gonna pass
Old John Brown
Can we keep from goin' down
Old John Brown
Can we keep from goin' down