Lyrics
A man called T. Don Hutto must have been some kind of man
'Cause he sure got a man-sized share of fame
It's not just anybody gets their name put on a building
Where children are held prisoner in their name
The town of Taylor, Texas is just an hour from Austin
But when you're there you're in a world away
Look inside the prison yard just beyond the chain-link fence
You will see young children at their play
You might well stop and ask yourself
What have these young children done
To be sentenced to such painful loss and fear?
It's all because their mom or dad was caught here without documents
Like twelve million others living here
Now you may think all immigrants should go back where they came from
And if they don't, hell, let 'em rot in jail
But if it was your own daughter in a cell at T. Don Hutto
With your grandchild in her arms, how would you feel?
What would you say if your own two- or four- or six- or eight-year-old
Was growing up in prison like these kids?
Since when in these United States do we put kids in prison
Because of what we say their parents did?
Call it family detention, say we do it for the children
You're lying to yourself down to the roots
But call it playing politics with children's lives and sanity
You're getting somewhat closer to the truth
So if you're down in Austin, take the highway out to Taylor
Bring some good friends with you for the ride
You might even wear a flag pin to show you still believe in
The dream for which so many fought and died
Step out onto the highway, turn to face the prison
Stare at those walls 'til you forget your name
Say a prayer for T. Don Hutto, say a prayer for all those children
Then close your eyes and hang your head in shame