I wrote this tune partially as California's response to Warren Zevon's "Werewolves of London," and partially as an ode to canines worldwide. Musically, I aimed for somewhere between "Folsom Prison Blues" and "Stray Cat Strut." Lyrically, I wanted it to be cinematic, with prison breaks and chase scenes sprinkled into our big ol' California Noir stew, so it seemed like the perfect song for a music video. But one of the first rules of filmmaking is to avoid shooting with animals or children if at all possible, so luckily the good folks at Maku helped us channel this vision into the video you see here, sans hounds, but replete with T-Rex! Thanks for tuning in - MJ Stream: smarturl.it/HHOASpotify Download: smarturl.it/HHOAiTunes Video by Maku. Director/Producer: Spenser Linney. Director of Photography: Nick Mahar. Assistant Camera: Joe Seiler. Actress: Jenna Harris. T-Rex: Nick Akiona. Stunt Driver: Elisabeth Jaffe. PA: Connor Cuse. Colorist: Ayumi Ashley. Special Thanks to Brietta Linney, Nick Roach, Thomas Yopes and Paul Paldino. Website: www.mattjaffemusic.com YouTube: www.youtube.com/c/MattJaffeMusic Facebook: www.facebook.com/mattjaffemusic Twitter: @mattjaffemusic Instagram: @mattjaffemusic Lyrics: Hellhounds of Alcatraz - Matt Jaffe You had better swim like you ain’t never swum before Unless you wanna end up lying on the ocean floor The channel is so windy and the water is so wide You paddle toward the city under cover of the night The hurricane’s in motion as you’re jumpin’ off the jail The Hellhounds of Alcatraz are hot on your tail They’ll follow you through North Beach and way down to Mexico You’re never out of reach and it don’t matter where you go Down The Embarcadero they are following their prey The strait is getting narrow between you and Judgment Day So if you ever turn around you know what to expect The Hellhounds of Alcatraz are dogging all your steps And the mission bells are ringin’ out upon the open sea And the angels are a-singin’, but they’ll never set you free A storm, it is a-comin’ like doomsday coming down Their paws, they are a-drummin’ like a tremor through the ground They’re raging up from under, following no common law Like Wicked bolts of thunder with the justice of their jaw Like locomotive lightning riding on the howling wind The Hellhounds of Alcatraz relieve you of your sin The skies above will darken as you tread into the night You already here ‘em barking, pretty soon you’ll feel ‘em bite You hear a deathly rumblin’ as you see the moon eclipsed San Francisco Bay is nothing but the River Styx You’re a refugee to heaven but you can’t get off the ground The Hellhounds of Alcatraz are you dragging you back down

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