Song Lyrics

I went down to the county jail
And turned myself in
Spending all my weekends here
Far from my good-timing friends
Things just went from bad to worse
But I don't know when
The only thing I know for sure
Is I ain't going back again

They took me down to cellblock B
After stripping off my clothes
Put me in a monkey suit
And threw me in the throes
Like a rat in a maze
A cow in the herd
Or a sparrow with a broken wing
Now I know the reason why
The caged bird has to sing

'Cause I'm just a weekender
In the Davidson County Jail
And my old man, he ain't got the cash
To even go my bail
Should have listened to my mama
And quit my life of sin
Before I went backsliding again

This bed is hard and the room is cold
And my cellmate's got a cough
She takes her meds and sleeps all day
Got six more weeks til she's off
She said she beat her boyfriend up
While high on crack cocaine
And now she sits and watches
Her life go down the drain

'Cause she's just a weekender
In the Davidson County Jail
Her old man ain't got the cash
To even go her bail
She should have listened to her mama
And quit her life of sin
Before she went backsliding again

Walk into some other room
They tried to make me eat
Red-dyed gravy, cardboard bread
And something that looked like meat
One tough girl from cellblock C
Picked a fight with the man at the desk
Mighty soon was sent back to her room
And I bet you know the rest

'Cause we're all just weekenders
In the Davidson County Jail
My old man ain't got the cash
To even call my bail
Should have listened to the good Lord
Maybe quit my life of sin
Before I went backsliding again
Before I went backsliding again

Margo Price