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I've been in prisons twice.

The first time was the State Correctional Institution at Rockview (Pennsylvania).
Our summer baseball league (high school age) was invited to play an exhibition for the inmates.
I have two distinct memories from that day.
1 - Our pitcher had walked two in a row and one of the inmates yelled "Stick a fork in him! He's done!"
It was the first time I had heard that expression. I thought he meant it.
2 - We had lunch with the prisoners.
It was the worst meal I've ever had in my life - to this day.

My 2nd time was the Hillsborough Juvenile Detention Center (Tampa, FL).
1977. I was doing solo gigs in bars at the time and was asked by a women's group to come entertain at the Center for their semi-annual visit there.
It was a good night - the guys there were very appreciative and we had fun.
They loved singing along to "The Lion Sleeps Tonight"....and "Runaway"...
But the thing I remember most about that night was when a guard walked through about halfway through the show.
The place got so quiet you could have heard the proverbial pin drop.
The change was dramatic. And a bit frightening.

This song is about that night.


EYES

they don't call this a prison
because we're so young
we're not inmates, we're sheep that have strayed
they dress us alike
we wear the same shoes
they feed us three meals a day

   the guard has eyes
   the warden has eyes
   the stone walls and steel bars have eyes
   the devil tracks your every move
   the man in the moon and the stars see, too
   the man in the moon and the stars

the firemen's wives auxillary
come twice a year to call
they're scared, we know it
they try not to show it
why, we're still just boys after all

   the guard has eyes
   the warden has eyes
   the stone walls and steel bars have eyes
   the devil tracks your every move
   the man in the moon and the stars see, too
   the man in the moon and the stars

the night guard walks through
like a thundering god
between steps you hear your cigarette burn
we wait in the dark
for nothing at all
but another day taking its turn

   the guard has eyes
   the warden has eyes
   the stone walls and steel bars have eyes
   the devil tracks your every move
   the man in the moon and the stars see, too
   the man in the moon and the stars



The BAND:
RealTracks in song: ~518:Bass, Electric, Pop HalfNotes Ev 085
RealTracks in song: 378:Guitar, Acoustic, Strumming DoubleTime Ev 088
RealTracks in song: 836:Guitar, Electric, Rhythm AltCountryRootsy Ev 075 (A:muted)
RealTracks in song: 793:Guitar, Acoustic, Strumming ModernCountrySync Ev 100
RealTracks in song: 1167:Guitar, Electric, Soloist RockBalladBrent Ev 065
RealDrums in Song: NashvilleEven8^1-a:Sidestick, HiHat , b:Snare, Ride


As always, I hope you enjoy it.
Fire away.

floyd

Wow Floyd, you just keep getting better. What fantastic lyrics, together with a haunting melody.

I was really taken by the line 'the man in the moon and the stars see, too'
and also
'we wait in the dark
for nothing at all
but another day taking its turn'

The slow build worked incredibly well, this is a real winner.

Knockout guitar work. Thanks for this one. It's great.
Trev

Floyd I really like your voice on this song...it fits perfect! The band that you chose is excellent and you really created the mood. The words that you wrote give true meaning to what it is like when isolated from the world with only preying eyes for company. I too have been to prison on four different occasions (to perform only) and until you have been there you can only imagine what it would be like to be inside behind bars. By the way, I was living in Tampa in '77.
Sonny

floyd,

I thought bloody hell! then I read the rest and life returned to normal.

The solo fits REALLY well and I like the RT 836, perfect for the song.
Was it really that long 'cos it passed so quickly? So on my 3rd listen

Vocals, production etc are perfect but the lyrics are incredibly thought provoking, really intense and paint a dark picture.

I visited some-one in a high security prison in Oxfordshire UK years back and this song brought that memory back. The barriers, the thorough search, including my mouth, and the looks from both sides, the wardens and the inmates checking me out. Scary stuff.
Then I met the inmate, a cousin of the then girlfriend who had got caught up in the heat of a pro-life demo and had firebombed a scientist, but he had no regrets.
She soon became my ex-girlfriend.
Not my life, no way.

This song says it all,

Well done, floyd, well done

Alyn

Well that was a fun listen of a haunting subject here on Halloween Day...

You have taken an interesting view different from the normal isolation, jail break themes we expect from a song about prison.

You call it EYES but it's really FEAR. That becomes obvious when the guard enters the room and the room is blanketed by silence.

Unusual, but high impact. This song would work really well with a video to visually drive the 'implied' fear into the viewer.

A great video/audio to be shown in schools across our nation.

It's a good write, mix and production. This song fit your vocals really well - your prison visit seems to have left a lasting impression....

floyd, I kinda figured you've been in prison from the way you just keep killin it. There oughta be a law. No law abiding songwriter can keep coming up with gems like this unless they are hanging around with jewel thieves. In fact maybe you'd better save room for me as I may end up your cellmate for continuing to steal your great production techniques. The difference between a guy writing songs and an extraordinary songwriter such as yourself is captured in this line "between steps you hear your cigarette burn". That's not just quiet that is a deathly silence. Brilliant! Needless to say the build, the voice, the production are all top of the game caliber. Another phenomenal piece of writing and performance. Tom

Hi Floyd,

"I thought bloody hell! then I read the rest and life returned to normal."
I exactly felt the way Alyn describes.
Perfect lyrics, vocals, harmonies, arrangement and mix.
I can't say I enjoyed my listen, it haunted me. And the lead perfectly fit this mood.
Another masterpiece.

Guenter

Really interesting write Floyd!! The lyrics are wonderfully effective. Never been to a prison and hope to never go (in any capacity). You did a great job telling the story. I think the arrangement was perfect for the subject matter. And the mix and vocal were spotless as usual. Very cool!! Take care. Greg

Trevor - I always appreciate when you drop by for a listen. Thanks for the nice review. Those are a few of my favorite lines, too...

Thanks for all that, Sonny. It is a sobering thing to be in a prison - for any reason...

How long were you in Tampa? I was at USF at the time. My main gigs were The Proud Lion Pub (on Fletcher?) - where I had a huge following because I was the only one around doing Jimmy Buffett then - and his fans found me... and Rough Riders in Ybor City (in the old cigar factory) - back when it was still considered "the bad side of town"...

Hi Floyd.

Very interesting song and not at all what I was expecting.

Reading the lyrics before playing the track, I was expecting aggression to be the driving force behind it, but instead it turned out to be the sense of futility in prison life. At least, that's the over-riding impression with which I was left. Like I said, very interesting.

As usual, fully professional recording and performance.

ROG.

Hi Floyd,

Yes, your productions are getting better and better.
We are amazed how much the song is shouldered by just the Electric, Rhythm AltCountryRootsy RT. A very cool basis of the song!

Good lyrics on a not so every day subject.

Rob and Anne-Marie

Hi Floyd. A nice lonesome and desperate sound about this one.
Love the drama. Cheers.

Nice mix of instruments - and interaction with bass and guitars (liked the subtle bass drum entrance). Atmospheric lyrics that fit the style and of course well sung. Another excellent production.

Now that's a powerful song, the lyrics and music are fantastic, I like the rock distortion, but that's my rock roots. As usual a master of FJ.

Another winner from Floyd! How in hell do you do it? Song after song just gets better and better and your first song was already top notch!

I really like the lyrics and how you captured the pain and fear in your vocals as well as the dynamic build up.

Great story, great vocals and a great mix, what's not to like about this one!

Yet another departure; but in a good way. Well done.



Regards,

Bob

holy smokes this good stuff well done thanks eric

I like this song. Good job on portraying the feeling that everything you do in prison is being watched. Because you're right. everything done and said is heard and seen by someone unless one is very very careful to conceal it.


I've been in a number of prisons. Like you, as a visitor. I worked for a time with the Christian Motorcyclist's Association on the music and prison ministry teams. We partnered with Bill Glass International ministries and would work their prison events with them. Going into a maximum security prison with our bikes was eerie. We got searched, and the bikes were searched, and then after the bikes were parked where they instructed.... generally on the basketball court, the keys were "collected" for "safe keeping". Behind two different twenty foot high fences topped with razor wire, and guard towers, and confined to the yard with the inmates is a strange thing. Of the inmates in the yard, most were happy for the diversion but that's all it was. A small group wanted to talk about bikes and reminisce about the bike they had had. then there were the inmates who were pissed that we had parked our bikes on the basketball court and they couldn't play ball that day. At one state max, they kept the gangs isolated. They never allowed the gangs to eat together or be in the yard together. And we ate with them.... and yeah, that wasn't good. In fact, I offered something on my plate to the guy across the table, and the guy next to me stopped me, and said... "You don't want to do that.... I know you're a visitor, but they don't let us swap food". Seems that's one of the black market currencies in the place.... The guards even tried to make all of us visitors set together until I explained to the captain that we really preferred to be with the inmates and not each other.... the captain relented and let us spread out. We certainly shook things up a bit from their normal way of doing things that day.

For a time, I was also volunteering in the music ministry for our church team on a regular basis.... every 3rd Wed nite at a minimum security women's prison. That was almost fun. Certainly more relaxed than the mens facilities I had been in in the past.

While US prisons are bad.... the one in the Bahamas for the kids was the worst. On a mission trip there, I was assigned to the boys juvenile facility with a bunch of naive American teenagers. Talk about rough. Boys from 7 up to 16 were all together. They started their prison stay in solitary. A small completely dark cell. Not big enough to stand up in or lay down. And they were there for a week or two. The guards carried a 2 foot section of 3/4" PVC pipe. It was not uncommon to hear stories from the kids about getting a severe beating from the guards for misbehavior and infractions of the rules.

Back here in the states, a buddy of mine is serving time right now. He was a drummer in a few of the bands I played in. Long story so I will spare you the details. He was in a minimum security facility and a guard and he had a disagreement over the accusation from another inmate, and long story short, he ended up being moved to a medium facility and time added.

Enough on that.... it's depressing.

Good song FLoyd

tee-hee figured that was a good way to pull ya in! Some memories are incredibly vivid... thanks for the listen and the nice comments..




Thanks, Charlie. The world is a lot scarier place than it was back then... seems like we all see so much grit all the time now we become immune...