Frankland Prison Blues
View chords used in this chart
D# G G#
When I see a prison, I see a vested interest in recidivism;
D# G G#
the righteous and pure on a moral mission, an awful draconian place
D# G G#
Will nobody listen? Can we please move beyond this simplistic vision?
D# G G#
Of ‘intrinsically bad natured citizens’ and the myth that it’s keeping us safe.
When I see a prison I see an inconsistency,
I see differential treatment, I see widespread inequality
I see a failing system that is grinning in defeat,
I see a cycle that nobody’s trying to break, a pattern that’s built to repeat,
D# G#
They say “when you open up a school, you close a prison door”
Cm F G#
Well we keep underfunding education and locking up the poor
D# G#
And I’m not sure where this is heading, But I know it isn’t great,
Cm F G#
we turned our heads away and they built a prison state.
F
a prison state
D# G# Cm
“Take me, take me anywhere, I never really cared about this freedom,
F G#
It was never meant for me
D# G# Cm
Lead me, lead me to my cell, I deserve to be in hell, there’s your solution,
F G# F G# D#
you should lock me up and throw away the key, Eternally. Imprison me.”
D# G G#
How to play Frankland Prison Blues
Use the controls above to change the key and text size. Follow the highlighted chords while listening, then practice each section slowly before playing at the original tempo.
What is the starting chord?
The first identified chord is D#. You can transpose without leaving the page.
Can I play it on guitar or keyboard?
Yes. The chord progression works on acoustic guitar, electric guitar and keyboard. Adapt the voicings to your instrument and level.