[Verse 1]
If the judge is subject to the law
Then why's he standing above it all?
Saw that gavel come down so hard
On the poor man's back in the county yard
He wore that robe like a shield and a crown
While the little folks got run around
Had a hand on rights, had a hand on trust
But justice ain't justice if it only works for us
[Pre-Chorus]
Mama said, son, better ask out loud
When the truth gets hid in a courtroom cloud
If the rules are for me and the rules are for you
Then the man in the bench ought to answer too
[Chorus]
If the judge is subject to the law
Then why's he practicing law without a license?
Why's he calling it right
When it cuts like a knife?
If the judge is subject to the law
Then he answers the same as the rest of us
No crown, no sway
Let the truth have its day
[Verse 2]
He read off papers with a steady grin
Like a locked-up door he could talk his way in
But the folks outside with the worn-out shoes
Knew a crooked road by the dust it leaves
And I heard that question ring in the hall
From the old brick steps to the county wall
If a man can rule and never kneel
What good is justice if it's never real?
[Pre-Chorus]
Mama said, son, better ask out loud
When the truth gets hid in a courtroom cloud
If the rules are for me and the rules are for you
Then the man in the bench ought to answer too
[Chorus]
If the judge is subject to the law
Then why's he practicing law without a license?
Why's he calling it right
When it cuts like a knife?
If the judge is subject to the law
Then he answers the same as the rest of us
No crown, no sway
Let the truth have its day
[Bridge]
Take the robe off the blame
Put the man in the frame
If the law has a name
Then it means what it says
No special hands
No untouchable plans
Just a line in the sand
For the whole wide land
[Chorus]
If the judge is subject to the law
Then why's he practicing law without a license?
Why's he calling it right
When it cuts like a knife?
If the judge is subject to the law
Then he answers the same as the rest of us
No crown, no sway
Let the truth have its day
[Outro]
If the judge is subject to the law
Then let him stand where the rest of us stand
If the judge is subject to the law
Then justice don't blink for any man