Twelve men broke loose in seventy three
From Millhaven Maximum Security
Twelve pictures lined up across the front page
Seems the Mounties had a summertime war to wage
Well, the chief told the people they had nothing to fear
Said, "The last thing they want to do is hang around here"
They mostly came from towns with long French names
But one of the dozen was a hometown shame
Same pattern on the table, same clock on the wall
Been one seat empty eighteen years in all
Freezing slow time, away from the world
He's thirty eight years old, never kissed a girl
He's thirty eight years old, never kissed a girl
We were sitting round the table, heard the telephone ring
Father said he tell them if he saw anything
Heard the tap on my window in the middle of the night
Held back the curtain for my older brother Mike
See my sister got raped so a man got killed
Local boy went to prison, man's buried on the hill
Folks went back to normal when they closed the case
They still stare at their shoes when they pass our place
My mother cried, "The horror has finally ceased"
He whispered, "Yeah, for the time being at least"
And over her shoulder on the squad car megaphone
Said, "Let's go, Michael, son, we're taking you home"
Same pattern on the table, same clock on the wall
Been one seat empty eighteen years in all
Freezing slow time, away from the world
He's thirty eight years old, never kissed a girl
He's thirty eight years old, never kissed a girl
He's thirty eight years old, never kissed a girl
I turned on the evening news
Saw a old man being interviewed
Turning a hundred and two today
Asked him what's the secret to life
He looked up from his old pipe
Laughed and said, "All I can say is
Don't blink
Just like that
You're six years old and you take a nap
And you wake up and you're twenty-five
And your high-school sweetheart becomes your wife
Don't blink
You just might miss
Your babies growing like mine did
Turning into moms and dads
Next thing you know
Your better half of fifty years is there in bed
And you're praying God takes you instead
Trust me friend
A hundred years goes faster than you think
So don't blink."
Well I was glued to my TV
When it looked like he looked at me
And said, "Best start putting first things first
'Cause when your hourglass runs out of sand
You can't flip it over and start again
Take every breath God gives you for what it's worth
Don't blink
'Cause just like that
You're six years old and you take a nap
And you wake up and you're twenty-five
And your high-school sweetheart becomes your wife
Don't blink
You just might miss
Your babies growing like mine did
Turning into moms and dads
Next thing you know
Your better half of fifty years is there in bed
And you're praying God takes you instead
Trust me friend
A hundred years goes faster than you think
So don't blink."
So I've been tryna slow it down
I've been tryna take it in
In this here-today-gone-tomorrow world we're livin' in
Don't blink
Just like that
You're six years old and you take a nap
And you wake up and you're twenty-five
And your high-school sweetheart becomes your wife
Don't blink
You just might miss
Your babies growing like mine did
Turning into moms and dads
Next thing you know
Your better half of fifty years is there in bed
And you're praying God takes you instead
Trust me friend
A hundred years goes faster than you think
So don't blink
No, don't blink
Don't blink
Life goes faster than you think
So don't blink
Life goes faster than you think
Don't blink
Don't blink
Life goes faster than you think