Far distant, far distant, in Peterhead Jail
Lies Johnny Ramensky, his escape bid is failed
Iron bars and red granite keep him from the sun
And Johnny Ramensky, no freedom has won.
He's been in a prison for most of his days
And 'I must hae' my freedom' is all that he says
For there are no horizons in a twenty-foot cell
And bitter is the music of a cold prison bell.
He's slipped from the darkness and into the light
To the green fields around him he's taken a flight
Forgotten his prison, to his window no bars
For Johnny Ramensky walked under the stars.
Like a dog he was hunted, like a dog he was ta'en
Ah but sweet was the smell of the wind and the rain
One breath of fresh air, one glance at the sun
But Johnny Ramensky no freedom has won.
Far distant, far distant, in Peterhead Jail
Lies Johnny Ramensky, his escape bid is failed
Iron bars and red granite keep him from the sun
And Johnny Ramensky, no freedom has won.
Lies Johnny Ramensky, his escape bid is failed
Iron bars and red granite keep him from the sun
And Johnny Ramensky, no freedom has won.
He's been in a prison for most of his days
And 'I must hae' my freedom' is all that he says
For there are no horizons in a twenty-foot cell
And bitter is the music of a cold prison bell.
He's slipped from the darkness and into the light
To the green fields around him he's taken a flight
Forgotten his prison, to his window no bars
For Johnny Ramensky walked under the stars.
Like a dog he was hunted, like a dog he was ta'en
Ah but sweet was the smell of the wind and the rain
One breath of fresh air, one glance at the sun
But Johnny Ramensky no freedom has won.
Far distant, far distant, in Peterhead Jail
Lies Johnny Ramensky, his escape bid is failed
Iron bars and red granite keep him from the sun
And Johnny Ramensky, no freedom has won.
Contributed by Bartleby - 2010/10/27 - 15:20
×
![]()
Note for non-Italian users: Sorry, though the interface of this website is translated into English, most commentaries and biographies are in Italian and/or in other languages like French, German, Spanish, Russian etc.
Scritta da Norman Buchan.
Testo trovato su Mudcat Café
Johnny Ramensky (nato Jonas Ramanauckas nel 1905 in una famiglia di origine lituana) è stato un criminale ed eroe di guerra scozzese. Dotato di grande forza e di non comuni doti ginniche, da giovanissimo fece il minatore, imparando ad usare gli esplosivi. Cresciuto tra la prima guerra e la crisi economica mondiale, Ramensky mise a frutto le sue abilità e divenne il più famoso scassinatore di Scozia. Lo chiamavano “Gentle Johnny” perché non rubava mai alla gente comune, depredava solo case ed esercizi commerciali dei ricchi, e non usava mai la violenza, né durante i furti né quando – spesso – veniva sorpreso e catturato. Tanto lui, così abile nello scasso, in prigione non ci durava molto, evadeva sempre… fu l’ultimo prigioniero scozzese cui furono imposte le catene alle caviglie e fu l’unico a riuscire ad evadere dalla famigerata prigione di Peterhead.
Allo scoppio della seconda guerra mondiale, al detenuto Ramensky fu proposto il perdono se in cambio avesse messo le sue abilità al servizio dell’esercito… E lui si dimostrò un asso anche in questo: divenne addestratore dei commando impiegati dietro le linee tedesche in pericolosissime azioni di sabotaggio e intelligence, e si guadagnò la più alta fra le decorazioni militari.
Ma, finita la guerra, l’indomito Ramensky tornò alla sua passione di sempre, il furto con scasso. Solo un infarto cardiaco lo fermò per sempre, nel 1972, mentre si trovava detenuto nella prigione di Perth. Dei suoi 67 anni, “Gentle Johnny” più di 40 li aveva trascorsi in gattabuia…
(fonte: en.wikipedia)