Cover art for Prison on Route 41 by Calexico & Iron & Wine

Prison on Route 41

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Sep. 12, 20051 viewer

Prison on Route 41 Lyrics

[Verse 1]
There's a prison on route 41
Home to my father, first cousin, and son
And I visit on every weekend
Not with my body but with prayers that I send

I've a reason for my absentee
And no lack of love for my dear family
And my savior is not Christ the Lord
But one named Virginia whom I live my life for


[Chorus]
'Cause I owe mine to her
And I'd rot in that prison for sure
If she'd tossed me aside
And not shown me the way to abide


[Verse 2]
By the creed, the law of the land
Unlike my uncle, grandpa, and great aunt
Whom I'd most likely see every day
If not for the righteous path Virginia's laid

There's a prison on route 41
Home to my mother, stepbrother, and son
And I'd tear down that jail by myself
If not for Virginia who made me someone else
[Chorus]
And I owe all to her
And I'd rot in that prison for sure
If she'd tossed me aside
And not shown me the way to abide

[Verse 3]
By the precepts of her purity
So unlike the habits of my whole family
Who I only see down on my knees
In prayer by Virginia whom I live for to please

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About

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Genius Annotation

An ode to Virginia, a character who saves the protagonist’s morality. Beam’s character sings of his familial predisposition for transgression and how one named Virginia saves him from ending up in prison like his relatives. This song has strong religious themes, not surprising given Beam’s Christian upbringing in the bible belt (although he now identifies as agnostic).

Credits
Produced By
Written By
Percussion
Backing Vocals
Mixing Locations
Saxophone
Vocals
Recording Engineer
Mastering Engineer
Recorded At
Wavelab Studio, Tucson, AZ
Release Date
September 12, 2005
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