I remember William,
We weren't much more than kids
His family lived in a run down shack,
Like the rest of the white trash did.
Now me n ole William
Used to smoke out by the barn
'Till his daddy caught him stealin' cigarettes
I still think he broke Williams arm
Chorus
Yea William, you grew up hard and mean
You weren't the apple of your mammas eye
And your daddy was a burned out fiend
For what it's worth now William
I know you coulda had a heart of gold
I don't think you ever knew that you had one
I don't think you were ever told.
When I was drinkin' my first beer
Ole William was gettin' high
He got kicked outta school for fightin' and drugs
And he stayed out late at night

The last time I seen William
He was married and had two kids
He tried to raise 'em like he was supposed to
But sometimes he raised 'em like his daddy did
Chorus
Yea William, you grew up hard and mean
You weren't the apple of your mamma's eye
And your daddy was a burned out fiend
For what it's worth now William
I know you coulda had a heart of gold
I don't think you ever knew that you had one
I don't think you were ever told.
Just last Sunday mornin'
Mamma called me on the phone
Said there's a story in the paper about William
She just thought I might like to know
He got shot by a city cop
While he was robbin' a local drug store
He was survived by two hungry kids a wife
And a pool of blood on the floor
Chorus