Intro: Am C Dm C X2

Verse 1:
Am         C        Dm      C
I hear the bells of freedom chiming
    Am        C       Dm       C
And inside my heart I feel I'm dying
Am        C     Dm       C
Wise guys never compromise
          Am          C               Dm       C
Then they loose their rights and they act surprised
Am          C       Dm      C
Jail really cuts ya down to size

Chorus:
        Am         F       G
Let the punishment fit the crime
    Am         F      G
The footprints on the sand of time
    Am         F      G   
The philosophy of the poet's rhyme
       Am  F      G
Make a man humble in his prime

Verse 2:
Am         C         Dm     C
You can go up, down, or sideways
      Am    C    Dm           C
Be on death row, counting the days
     Am      C           Dm             C
They say the answers are blowin' in the wind
       Am            C                Dm   C
And to take yourself out would really be a sin
Am               C              Dm   C
You just have to cope and start over again

Chorus:
        Am         F       G
Let the punishment fit the crime
    Am         F      G
The footprints on the sand of time
    Am         F      G   
The philosophy of the poet's rhyme
       Am  F      G
Make a man humble in his prime

Break: F5  A5  A5 B5 C5 F5  A5  A5 B5 C5 F5  A5  A5 B5 C5 F5  G5   C5 F5 G5 G5 G5 F5 

Verse 3:
Am     C           Dm     C
Little child cries in his sleep
    Am         C        Dm       C
And life makes promises it can't keep
             Am       C    Dm       C
And then you feel you had, had enough
    Am  C       Dm       C
You realize somehow, someway
        Am       C                     Dm    C
Your destiny was planned from the very first day

Chorus:
        Am         F       G
Let the punishment fit the crime
    Am         F      G
The footprints on the sand of time
    Am         F      G   
The philosophy of the poet's rhyme
       Am  F      G
Make a man humble in his prime

Chorus:
        Am         F       G
Let the punishment fit the crime
    Am         F      G
The footprints on the sand of time
    Am         F      G   
The philosophy of the poet's rhyme
       Am  F      G
Make a man humble in his prime

Ending:
        Am         F       G
Let the punishment fit the crime
        Am         F       G
Let the punishment fit the crime
        Am         F       G
Let the punishment fit the crime
        Am         F       G
Let the punishment fit the crime