I robbed Mr Johnson of thirty six bucks, 

His watch and a mighty fine ring, 

Not much to me, as a tear-a-way youth, 

But they meant the whole world to him. 

You see the watch was his daddies; he’d worn in the war, 

As he battled up Omaha beach,

The ring was his mothers; he’d lost the summer before,

But all that meant nothing to me.

Because I was a young man, just out of my teens,

Swinging the world by the tail,

Ma and Pa tried to lead me back on the right path,

But their preaching was to no avail.

I was already known among the street gangs and thugs, 

As a man who was not to be crossed,

Working my way up the ranks of the gang,

Called The Blades, till at last I was boss.

Nobody could touch me, I was top of the pile,

I had the police and the mayor in my pocket,

Everyone knew I was running amok,

But no-one was able to stop it.

By the time I was thirty I had more money and power,

Than most people obtain in their life,

With flash cars and a mansion in the rich part of town,

And all from the proceeds of crime,

Then somebody came to me with plans for a heist,

Worth millions in gold it appeared,

Stashed in the vaults of a catholic church,

And guarded by the priesthood for years,

Now I’ve never been one to pass up a job,

As easy as this one had seemed,

Gold artefacts and the finest of jewels,

Enough to satisfy any mans dreams.

The plan was quite simple, what could go wrong?

We’d just enter the church in the morning,

Threaten the priest and explain what we’d do,

If he didn’t open the vault at our warning,

On the day of the robbery, we drove to the church,

And parked round the back, out of sight,

My men looked at me for the signal to start,

But something just didn’t feel right.
 

Now I’d never felt nervous but this day I did,

And I just wanted to call it all off,

I fancied that someone was calling my name,

In a voice both reproachful and soft,

But I shrugged off the feeling and got out the car,

As the door of the church opened wide,

We rushed up the steps and pushed at it hard,

Knocking over the priest, stood inside,

I pulled out a pistol and aimed it at him,

And said, “You’re safe if you do as you’re told,

Open the vault and you’ll come to no harm,

We’re just here for the jewels and the gold”.

His expression was puzzled, but he wasn’t afraid,

Then he said, “Is this some kind of prank?

This is the house of the lord that you’re in,

There’s no vault, this isn’t a bank”.

 

The hairs on the back of my neck stood on end,

And an icy chill shot down my spine,

As the voice I had heard in the car out the back,

Came back louder and fiercer this time,

My hand started shaking from anger or fear, 

I can’t honestly say which it was,

The voice I was hearing was still in my ear,

As my men asked, ”What we gonna’ do boss?”.

I grabbed at the priest, just to pull him upright, 

When my gun accidentally fired, 

He fell to the floor and I’ll never forget, 

What he said just before he expired.

His face, it was peaceful as he looked in my eyes, 

Then slowly looked down at the gun,

He said, “Change your ways Michael, while you still have the chance,

And God may yet forgive you my son”.

He wasn’t the first man I’d sent to his grave,

I’d sent many a man in the past,

But something about him and the voice I had heard, 

Convinced me, he would be the last.

My men began running back to the car,

As I stood there transfixed by the priest,

I hadn’t the power to return him to life,

But I could stay by his body, at least.

When the detectives arrived at the scene of this crime,

I freely and gladly confessed,

To this despicable crime, and my entire lifetime,

So glad it was all off my chest.

The judge gave me life without chance of parole,

A sentence I richly deserve, 

Will God forgive me and reclaim my soul,

When my sentence if finally served?

As I wait for the answer, my mind wanders back,

To Mr Johnson and that very first crime,

Wishing I’d listened to my Ma and my Pa,

And the advice they gave me at the time.

Well Mr Johnson’s been gone now for many a year,

And though I told him I don’t give a damn,

I wish I could give back his watch and his ring,

And tell him how sorry I am.

By S.E.Ralph

9-3-2020