I knew him when I was a boy; I didn't like him then,
I knew that lad was headed for 'bout twenty in the pen,
Sure enough, as he grew up my respect for him went down,
He was the local lowlife of good old Belfast town.

But now he sings a different song about amazing grace,
He said he's got a different heart behind that smiling face,
He says that Jesus touched him and he's a brand new man,
If anyone can claim that, your man McCann can.

So Billy boy got older, he chose one crowd from the other,
He didn't have the kind of friends to bring home to his mother,
And calling names was soon replaced by using sticks and stones,
And Bill McCann took pleasure in the sound of breaking bones.

But now he sings a different song about amazing grace,
He said he's got a different heart behind his smiling face,
He says that Jesus touched him and he's a brand new man,
If anyone can claim that, your man McCann can.

Then something started happening and Bill hung up his gun,
He went back to his darling wife, his daughter and his sons,
And he became the kind of man that every man should be,
Caring for his neighbours and his own wee family.

And now he sings a different song about amazing grace,
He said he's got a different heart behind his smiling face,
He says that Jesus touched him and he's a brand new man,
If anyone can claim that, your man McCann can.