The past ten years just flashed before my eyes I remember the day my daddy died   He left mom four boys and three-year old Ginny Lou   She got sick and we almost lost her too   Times were rough even when dad was here but things got worse year after year   Six years ago mom married again and that's when our troubles really began   Jim Johnson was the name of our step-pa he was the meanest man I'd ever saw   He mistreated mom and all of us kids and I swore some day he'd pay each time he did   Never had enough clothes for school but we'd go we'd go home early because of snow   And almost freeze to death fore we got there   Jim bought booze instead of shoes for us to wear   One summer we found six kittens with our old cat   Jim made us put 'em all in a gunny sack   And throw 'em in the river with rocks inside   Jim just stood there and laughed while we all cried   Jim started watchin' Ginny Lou when she just turned thirteen   Then late one night I heard Ginny scream   I run and got the shotgun and grabbed a shell   And I pulled the trigger and Jim Johnson fell   I knew that someday it would come to this   I knew that he'd try to put his hands on sis   When people hear my story they'll understand   They'll know that what I killed was not a man   They'll know Jim Johnson was not a man