The Hostage Chords & Lyrics - Judy Collins

[VERSE 1]
I'm a [Dm]guard in the grey iron prison, at [G]least I was 'till [Dm]now
It was [G]never a picnic [Bb]social, never a [Dm]day
They never come in laughing and you [G]know they never taught them [Dm]how
It was [G]damn hard work, and you [Bb]wouldn't believe the [Dm]pay

[VERSE 2]
It was early in the morning, lord, I [G]wasn't but half a[Dm]wake
When the [G]cons went nuts, and [Bb]took us by sur[Dm]prise
I never was one for shaking, but I [G]found it hard to [Dm]stand
With a [G]six-inch blade held [Bb]right before my [Dm]eyes

[VERSE 3]
We could hear a siren blowing, [G]somebody yelled in [Dm]pain
Then it [G]got so quiet, you could [Bb]hear a bird walk [Dm]by
They all had masks on their faces, and they [G]spoke with a voice of [Dm]Cain
"If they [G]come in shooting, then you [Bb]know you're bound to [Dm]die"

[VERSE 4]
I turned to a buddy named Willie, I said "[G]Willie, it'll be all [Dm]right
If they [G]meant to kill us we'd be [Bb]half way down to [Dm]Hell

See, they high-jacked a plane in the desert
And the [G]government screamed and [Dm]cried
But to [G]save some lives, they [Bb]opened up a prison [Dm]cell"

[VERSE 5]
So the days kept coming and going, [G]tension was getting [Dm]high
But I [G]wasn't too worried, I [Bb]figured I knew the [Dm]score
I knew they were talking to someone, I [G]knew they were willing to [Dm]try
So I [G]figured my freedom was a [Bb]matter of a day or two [Dm]more

[VERSE 6]
But, Jesus, early this morning, the [G]whirlybird dropped the [Dm]gas
It [G]made me puke and it [Bb]brought me to my [Dm]knees
The bullets came like hailstones, I [G]heard the first ones [Dm]pass
Then they [G]cut down Willie, and they [Bb]got Jim Kelly and [Dm]me

[VERSE 7]
They come in yelling curses, like they were [G]crossing the River [Dm]Rhine
[G]Shot down every [Bb]goddamned thing they [Dm]saw
And while I lay there wounded, I [G]took another one in my [Dm]spine
[G]Poor Jim Kelly took a[Bb]nother one in his [Dm]jaw

[VERSE 8]
They say we had our throats cut by a [G]band of desperate [Dm]men
[G]Say they saved as [Bb]many of us as they [Dm]could
Well, the governor he should know it, but I [G]think I'll say it a[Dm]gain
That the [G]governor cut my [Bb]throat and he cut it [Dm]good

[VERSE 9]
Let them take the governor, hold [G]him for a couple of [Dm]days
[G]See who goes in [Bb]shooting to set him [Dm]free
Hell, they'd open every jail in the country, they'd [G]send them on their [Dm]way
They'd [G]never do to [Bb]him what the governor done to [Dm]me