Time Is an Ocean

I speak to you in jesus' name

I’m talking to you in Jesus’ name

As jesus speaks through me,

Like Jesus is speaking through me,

The evil we do can't be blamed upon

The bad stuff we do can’t be blamed on anyone else

Our destiny

It’s our fate

I have walked through the valley of death row

I’ve walked through the death‑row valley

To the shore

All the way to the shore

I have stumbled through silvery waters to my saviour,

I’ve stumbled through silver waters to my savior,

My salvador

my savior

It took me for years to learn

It took me years to learn

I was in prison not in church,

I was in prison, not in church,

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

And then two more to start the book of my soul’s search

Time is an ocean of endless tears

Time’s an ocean of endless tears

A wild boy from the streets of the barrio

A wild kid from the barrio streets

The orphan form the hill of mayaguez

An orphan from the Mayaguez hill

And when i wrote my story

When I wrote my story

The words flew from the page

The words just flew off the page

And my soul in solitary

And my lonely soul

Escaped its iron cage

Escaped its iron cage

Time is an ocean of endless tears

Time’s an ocean of endless tears

Mama, i got your letter today

Mom, I got your letter today

The next time that you write i'll be transferred

The next time you write, I’ll be transferred

Far away,

Far away,

I'm leaving green haven's towers of stone

I’m leaving Green Haven’s stone towers

Where the latin population will soon be minus one.

Where the Latin crowd will soon be one less

Time is an ocean of endless tears

Time’s an ocean of endless tears

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

I know how hard it’s been for you all these years,

You say the aguinaldo makes you dream of home

You say the Christmas bonus makes you dream of home

Where once we strolled the beach at el malecon

Where we used to stroll the beach at El Malecón

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

Go back, don’t worry, I’m your grown‑up son

The politics of prison are a mirror of the street

The politics of prison mirror the street

The poor endure oppression

The poor endures oppression

The police control the state

The police run the state

Correctional facility

The correctional facility

That's what they call this place

That’s what they call this place

But look around and you will see

But look around and you’ll see

A polity of race

A mix of races

A forest and a prison

A forest and a prison

Where the snow and the guards are white

Where the snow and the guards are white

If you want to keep your sanity

If you want to keep your sanity

You'll teach yourself to write.

You’ll have to teach yourself to write

You were a child of sixteen

You were a sixteen‑year‑old kid

With a twelve-year-old mind

With a twelve‑year‑old mind

You came here numb and battered

You came here numb and battered

From the streets i left behind,

From the streets I left behind

I'll take the evil in me

I’ll take the evil in me

And turn it into good,

And turn it into good,

Though all your institutions

Even though all your institutions

Never thought i could

I never thought I could

So now i turn to say goodbye

So now I’m saying goodbye

I'll keep your image in my eye

I’ll keep your image in my eye