I'd like to hold my head up and be proud of who I am   But they won't let my secret go untold   I paid the debt I owed 'em but they're still not satisfied   Now I'm a branded man out in the cold      When they let me out of prison I held my head up high   Determined I would rise above the shame   But no matter where I'm living a black mark follows me   Now I'm branded with a number on my name   I'd like to hold my head up...   [ guitar ]   If I live to be a hundred I guess I'll never clear my name   Cause everybody knows I've been in jail   No matter where I'm living I've got to tell 'em where I been   Or they'll send me back to prison if I fail   I'd like to hold my head up...   Now I'm a branded man out in the cold