I speak to you in jesus' name

as jesus speaks through me,

the evil we do can't be blamed upon

our destiny

i have walked through the valley of death row

to the shore

i have stumbled through silvery waters to my saviour,

my salvador

salvador

it took me for years to learn

i was in prison not in church,

and two more to begin the book of my soul's search

sal & salvador

time is an ocean of endless tears

sal

a wild boy from the streets of the barrio

the orphan form the hill of mayaguez

salvador

and when i wrote my story

the words flew from the page

and my soul in solitary

escaped its iron cage

sal & salvador

time is anocean of endless tears

sal

mama, i got your letter today

the next time that you write i'll be transferred

far away,

i'm leaving greenhaven's towers of stone

where the latin population will soon be minus one.

sal & salvador

time is an ocean of endless tears

sal

i know how hard it's been for you these many years,

you say the aguinaldo makes you dream of home

where once we strolled the beach at el malecon

go back don't you worry, i am your grown-up son.

salvador

the politics of prison are a mirror of the street

the poor endure oppression

the police control the state

salvadorcorrectional facility

that's what they call this place

but look around and you will see

a policy of race

sal

a forest and a prison

where the snow and the guards are white

salvador

if you want to keep your sanity

you'll teach yourself to write.

salvador

you were a child of sixteen

with a twelve-year-old mind

you came here numb and battered

from the streets i left behind,

sal

i'll take the evil in me

and turn it into good,

though all your institutions

never thought i coul