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Three Failed Escape Attempts of Sheila Nail Lyrics by Joe Iconis

Love In Hate Nation (Original Cast Recording)

2021

[DOROTHY, KITTY, RAT, YA-YA, spoken]
Tell her about it, Sheila!
[SHEILA]
The first time I tried it it was late at night
I tied some bed sheets together tied ’em up real tight
Tied one end to a drainpipe
Threw the other out the window
Oh oh oh oh
Looked past the edge forty feet below
I threw my leg over, thought “here I go”
And started climbing down the side of the building
Side of the building
Climbing right down
[DOROTHY, KITTY, RAT, YA-YA]
Right down
[SHEILA]
Got looks from the squirrels in the trees and
Feelin’ the breeze across my night gown
[DOROTHY, KITTY, RAT, YA-YA]
Night gown
[SHEILA]
And I was a few feet from freedom
I was just a few feet from freedom
Then I heard a “stop right there, put your hands in the air”
And I knew that my plan was a fail
Well gettin’ caught is the worst
And that was only the first
Of the three failed escape attempts of Sheila Nail
[SHEILA, DOROTHY, KITTY, RAT, YA-YA]
Three failed escape attempts of Sheila Nail
Three failed escape attempts of Sheila Nail
[SHEILA (DOROTHY, KITTY, RAT, YA-YA)]
Second time I tried it was another day
(Hey)
There were bed sheets involved but in a different way
(Hey)
I hid inside the laundry bin
You would not believe the things I saw
Sha na na naw
Waited for hours, thought I was gonna get stuck
Then an orderly starts pushing me a-toward his truck
Which meant that we was headed out of the building
Out of the building
Heading right out
[DOROTHY, KITTY, RAT, YA-YA]
RIght out
[SHEILA]
I was covered in clothes, through a hole in some hose
I saw a light sprout
[DOROTHY, KITTY, RAT, YA-YA]
Saw a little light sprout
[SHEILA]
Knew I was a
[DOROTHY, KITTY, RAT, SHEILA, YA-YA]
Few feet from freedom
[SHEILA]
Really just a
[DOROTHY, KITTY, RAT, SHEILA, YA-YA]
Few feet from freedom
[SHEILA]
Then I heard the orderly shout
“Look, a foot’s stickin’ out!”
And he lifted off my veil
Oh yea the warden was beckoned
And so goes the second
Of the three failed escape attempts of Sheila Nail
Then after that I said forget the clever plan
I saw an opportunity and I just ran
Got as far as the highway, stuck out my thumb
A car slowed up and here the warden come
She called me a filthy malcontent
And, yeah
[DOROTHY, KITTY, RAT, SHEILA, YA-YA]
That was exactly how the third time went
[RAT, spoken]
And when they brought her back, she pulled a drainpipe down!
[DOROTHY, spoken]
Flooded the whole floor
[KITTY, spoken]
Screw you, Miss Asp!
[YA-YA, spoken]
So badass!
[SUSANNAH, spoken]
It's quite a story. Unbelievable, in fact
[SHEILA]
But that ain't really how it happened, it’s just what I say
Cuz I did get in the car and as it drove away
I thought of where I came from
I thought of where I’d go
Where'm I gonna sleep tonight?
I don’t know
I ain’t got no family, got no coin in my purse
Yeah life was bad at school
Life before it was worse
And I ain’t been a civilian since ‘53
And I’m sure the world has changed
Substantially
And Nation is scary
And so so unfair
But at least I have a purpose, I’m respected there
Hey driver, hey, driver, hey, I’m not of age
You best take me back, back, back, back to my cage
And back to Nation I went
Oh so embarrassingly
Of my own consent
Last time I tried it was a different affair
I tied some bed sheets together and I stood on a chair
Tied one end to a drain pipe and the other ‘round my neck
Aw heck
And without any prep
I took a step
And I could feel the air leave my body, air leave my body
It got real tight
I never cop to this type of shit, but I have to admit it didn’t feel right
I was just a few breaths from freedom
But it didn’t feel much like freedom
And then the drain pipe broke
And I let out a croak
And the water rained down on me
I don’t believe in signs, but I can read between the lines
So I guess this is where I’m supposed to be
(Hey hey)
[SHEILA]
And with the rain pouring down, inside of the building, pouring right down
[DOROTHY, KITTY, RAT, YA-YA]
Right down
[SHEILA]
I lit a hidden cigarette as I stood soaking wet
In my
[DOROTHY, KITTY, RAT, SHEILA, YA-YA]
Nightgown
Nightgown
[SHEILA]
Bars and cages defined my freedom
But now I make my own kind of freedom
Running away is a bore
So I don’t do that no more
I see a battle I fight
I’m my own shining white knight
I may be fucked in my head
But, hey, at least I ain’t dead
And babe, I’m gonna gonna gonna prevail
By now you oughta derived
That cuz I fought I survived
And the three failed escape attempts of Sheila Nail
[DOROTHY, KITTY, RAT, YA-YA]
Three failed escape attempts of Shelia Nail
Three failed escape attempts of Shelia Nail
[SHELIA (DOROTHY, KITTY, RAT, YA-YA)]
Freedom (freedom)
I lived to tell the tale
Of the three failed escape attempts of Sheila Nail (three failed escape attempts of Sheila Nail)
Credits

About “Three Failed Escape Attempts of Sheila Nail” by Joe Iconis

Read the complete lyrics to "Three Failed Escape Attempts of Sheila Nail" by Joe Iconis from the album "Love In Hate Nation (Original Cast Recording)" in 2021. On Lyrks you can follow along with the full text, explore the artist's discography, and discover related songs. The track is often categorized under Musicals, Theatre, Pop.

"Three Failed Escape Attempts of Sheila Nail" is performed by Joe Iconis. from the album "Love In Hate Nation (Original Cast Recording)" in 2021 This page provides the full lyric text for fans who want to sing along, study the songwriting, or compare versions across releases. Lyrks organizes lyrics by artist and song slug so you can bookmark and share a stable URL. Music lyrics help listeners connect with emotion, narrative, and rhythm in a track. Whether you are learning English, researching a favorite chorus, or preparing for karaoke, having accurate line breaks and section labels (verse, chorus, bridge) makes the experience easier. We link to the official artist profile on Lyrks where available, including biography snippets, top songs, and chart placements when we have that data. If you enjoy "Three Failed Escape Attempts of Sheila Nail", explore more songs by Joe Iconis using the links below. Chart and trending pages on Lyrks highlight what listeners are searching for this week. For copyright or correction requests, see our DMCA and contact pages.

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Frequently asked questions

"Three Failed Escape Attempts of Sheila Nail" is credited to Joe Iconis. Songwriting credits may include additional writers listed on the release; check the credits section on this page for linked collaborators.

"Three Failed Escape Attempts of Sheila Nail" appears on "Love In Hate Nation (Original Cast Recording)" in 2021.

Visit the Joe Iconis artist page at /artist/joe-iconis for biography, popular tracks, and links to more lyric pages.