Verse 1
I’d run that prison near thirty years,
Seen men with rage, seen men with tears.
But one came in with a quiet stare,
Swore to me he’d serve his share.
Verse 2
Now Ol’ Red’s my pride, my trusted hound,
A nose so sharp he’d track you down.
So I gave that boy a job to do,
Feed the dog, and walk him too.
Chorus
But the night fell cold and the sirens cried,
Ol’ Red was runnin’ to the other side.
That prisoner’s gone, and it cuts me deep,
He fooled my hound, fooled me in my sleep.
Verse 3
I used to laugh when a man would run,
Say “Come on, Red, let’s have some fun.”
But I didn’t mean no lover’s call,
Didn’t mean to let that prisoner trick you.
Verse 4
Now I look at Red with fire in my eyes,
Dog got tricked by the devil’s lies.
One sweet scent and he turned away,
Left me the fool on that fateful day.
Chorus
Yeah, the night fell cold and the sirens cried,
Ol’ Red was runnin’ to the other side.
That prisoner’s gone, and it cuts me deep,
He fooled my hound, fooled me in my sleep.
Bridge
“Come on, Red, why don’t you run?”
I used to say it just for fun.
But not like that — not chasin’ love,
You’re my hound, not the blue tick hounds
Final Chorus (Harder)
Now the night fell cold and the sirens cried,
Ol’ Red got fooled and my trust just died.
That prisoner’s free, but I’ll make my vow —
I’ll hunt him down, I’ll hunt him down.
Outro (Spoken, like a warning)
“Run while you can, boy…
’Cause the warden’s comin’ for you now.”