One Second Chance

"It says here you're from Houston: You're certified to drive a truck. "It doesn't say what you been doin' the last five years." Then I watched his eyes keep readin', then I watched his eyes look up, An' watched another job I needed disappear. 'Cause when they get to the line: "Have you been convicted of a crime?" They say: "Thanks for comin' in," an' they don't call you back. I ain't askin' for every job under the sun: I just want one second chance. On August twenty-second, well, little Jacob's turnin' five, But his Momma moved him half-a-state away. I left another message on her phone at home last night, An' she fin'lly had her lawyer call today. She knows I can't afford to take this thing to court, And I'm tryin' hard to make her understand: I ain't askin' for every weekend of every month, I just want one second chance. I was young an' I was stupid: I regret it every day. I ain't sayin' I didn't do it but I 've paid for my mistakes. It's a lost and empty feelin' when they don't want you around, Yeah, I finally got my freedom but what good is it now? There's some days when it feels like it's been a hundred years; Sometimes it feels like only yesterday. We were paintin' Jacob's nursery, countin' days till he was here. Next thing I knew, I'd thrown it all away. Now I know I can't go back to the life I used to have, When I still held the whole world in my hands: I had a job, I had a wife, I had a son, Now I just want one second chance.