The jailhouse, the jailhouse,
It is an awful place.
There was a time when only crime
Would merit such disgrace.
But now if you should chance to say
You want to see a better day,
You're liable to be put away
With bars across your face.

Chorus:
Open up the jailhouse door,
Open up the jailhouse door,
Open wide, open wide for Democracy's inside
And we need her as we never did before.

The heroes, the heroes,
Who fight for peace and bread,
They should be given glory
But they're given chains instead,
And if you want good company,
For goodness' sake don't look at me,
They're all put under lock and key
For fear they might be red.

(Chorus)

It's lonely, it's lonely,
Within those prison gates,
And Liberty's a prisoner, too,
Who languishes and waits,
But when she hears our voices sound,
She'll know we've got reaction downed
That wants to make a prison ground
Of these United States.

Open up the jailhouse door,
Open up the jailhouse door,
Open wide, open wide for Democracy's inside
And we're never going to lose her any more.