The Ballad of Donna Lewis *Notes

We found a canvas sack lyin' on a railway track
It fell out of an armored car and landed at our feet
We looked left and right, not another soul in sight
We threw the sack into the car and took off down the street

Four hundred thousand bucks will buy a lot of cars and trucks
we tossed the money in the air and laughed as it came down
The kids squealed with delight, grandma nearly died of fright
As we danced crazy through the night and spread the wealth around

But Donna soon became concerned, she said "That money wasn't earned!"
Besides which the coppers might be breathing down our necks
She'd been raised to sit up straight, and say her prayers before she ate
To speak when she was spoken to and stay away from sex

Well how were we to know right then, she'd later call her uncle Ben
Sad to say her uncle was the local deputy
And bein' such an upright man, he took Donna by the hand
"To make it to the Promised Land your duty's plain to see."

Well I am just an average joe, I listen to the radio
I learn a bit from magazines and watchin' the TV
I don't believe in mortal sin, but when I heard she'd turned us in
I knew that she'd condemned us to the penitentiary

And so the lesson I have learned is money that you haven't earned
Will get you into trouble if you take it recklessly
so if you think you'll find a sack that you might wanna not give back
You better be more careful with the company you keep

Lyrics by Alan Franklin 1984