He was an artist and a writer
and a poet and a friend
In a man's life he will take a fall
but how low he goes it just depends
He's shooting dope in the men's room
at the station daly city train
Have you ever seen an angel?
Well I know I have.
See, they'll stay here for a while, then they'll fly away
[Chorus: x2]
Jackyl had a beer in his hand last time I seen him
When he rolled the dice he never thought twice
never thought twice about being him
Some grown up and some grow old
But what about the kid who never learned the rules?
Spent all these years on this earth
when you look back it's just a flicker of time
Jackyl was one of the one's that perished
Yeah, he was one of the ones that was already saved
Through all the evil and wreckage, yeah
he maintained a sense of himself, yeah
[Chorus x2]
Some men are in prison even though they walk the streets at night
Other men who got the lockdown are free as a bird in flight
How 'bout the hour in the system that has ended
In a one-way line out measures could not stand it.