I'd like to hold
my head up
and be proud
of who I am
But they won't
let my secret
go untold
I paid the debt
I owed them
but they're still
not satisfied
Now I'm a branded man
out in the cold
When they let me
out of prison
I held my head up high
Determined I would
rise above the shame
But no matter
where I travel
the black mark
follows me
I'm branded
with a number
on my name
I'd like to hold
my head up
and be proud
of who I am
But they won't
let my secret
go untold
I paid the debt
I owed them
but they're still
not satisfied
Now I'm a branded man
out in the cold
If I live to be
a hundred
I guess I'll never
clear my name
'Cause everybody knows
I've been in jail
No matter
where I'm living
I've got to tell them
where I've been
Or they'll send me
back to prison
if I fail
I'd like to hold
my head up
and be proud
of who I am
But they won't
let my secret
go untold
I paid the debt
I owed them
but they're still
not satisfied
Now I'm a branded man
out in the cold
Now I'm a branded man
out in the cold