Don’t Let Me Die with Chapped Lips

From the book Tales in the hood

    As Rupert lay dying in the streets,

scum, bum, con-man, all this yet incomplete,

still he didn't deserve to die with chapped lips.

    A child of God, and the son of mortal man,

always trying to scheme in life thru his own plan,

he dropped out of school before getting a degree,

yet he walked and talked in the best of company,

still he didn't deserve to die with chapped lips.

    There came a time too hard for one man to bear,

a deal worth a million, and he didn't wanna share,

his partners were hard as iron, and tough as steal,

any attempt to get-over on them was truly unreal,

the deal was made and the stage was set,

for Rupert to pull this off, would be a bet,

still he didn't deserve to die with chapped lips.

    The six ten to Yuma was two minutes from depart,

as Rupert stood baggage in hand, guts and heart,

but somehow his partners got wind of a rat on the run,

and his fate was about to be settled at the end of a gun,

it was now hard as iron and tough as steal,

who walked among the shadows without repeal,

and as the hail of bullets flew and his body fell,

for poor Rupert it was now a question of heaven or hell.

Unable to find a priest so he confided in an intern named Rex,

who he promised to give a million dollars to, for just a little-bit of carmex --- because he didn’t

wanna die with chapped lips.”