In the hall of legalized murder
A young black man is waiting for his death
He killed a white policeman
Or so they say, and the judges want his breath

In the hall of legalized murder
Time goes by and no one does a lot
But they tested out the gas chamber
On a young black rabbit, at least he won't be shot

They should give him a medal
Isn't our world based on murder?
They should give him a medal
Isn't our world based on crime?

In the hall of legalized murder
A young black man is strapped into a chair
And the warden says "We'll get through this together, Jim."
But the warden doesn't seem to have a chair

In the hall of legalized murder
There's a lump of flesh that's lying a tray
It's been freshly killed but it wasn't killed for eating
It's been freshly killed to be dumped and thrown away

They should give him a medal
Isn't our world based on murder?
They should give him a medal
Isn't our life based on crime