Pistol shots ring out in the barroom night
Enter Patty Valentine from the upper hall
She sees a bartender in a pool of blood
Cries out, "my God, they killed them all"
Here comes the story of the Hurricane
The man the authorities came to blame
For somethin' that he never done
Put in a prison cell, but one time he coulda beenT
he champion of the world
Three bodies lyin' there, does Patty see
And another man named Bello,
movin' around mysteriously
"I didn't do it" he says, and he throws up his hands
"I was only robbin' the register, I hope you understand"
"I saw them leavin'" he says, and he stops"
One of us had better call up the cops"A
nd so Patty calls the copsAnd they arrive on the scene
With their red lights flashin' in a hot New Jersey night
Meanwhile, far away in another part of town
Rubin Carter and a couple of friends are drivin' around
Number one contender for the middleweight crown
Had no idea what kinda shit was about to go down
When a cop pulled him over to the side of the road
Just like the time before and the time before that
In Paterson that's just the way things goIf you're black
you might as well not show up on the street
'Less you want to draw the heat
Alfred Bello had a partner and he had a rap for the cops
Him and Arthur Dexter Bradley were just out prowlin' around
He said "I saw two men runnin' out, they looked like middleweightsJ
umped into a white car with out-of-state plates"
And Miss Patty Valentine just nodded her head
Cop said "Wait a minute, boys, this one's not dead"
So they took him to the infirmary
And though this man could hardly see
They told him he could identify the guilty men
Four in the mornin' and they haul Rubin in
They took him to the hospital and they brought him upstairs
The wounded man looks up through his one dyin' eye
Say "Why'd you bring him in here for? He ain't the guy"
Here's the story of the Hurricane
The man the authorities came to blame
For somethin' that he never done Put in a prison cell, but one time he coulda been
The champion of the world
Four months later, the ghettos are in flame
Rubin's in South America, fightin' for his name
While Arthur Dexter Bradley's still in the robbery game
And the cops are puttin' the screws to him, lookin' for somebody to blame
"Remember that murder that happened in a bar?""
Remember you said you saw the getaway car?""
You think you'd like to play ball with the law?""
Think it mighta been that fighter that you saw runnin' that night?"
"Don't forget that you are white"
Arthur Dexter Bradley said "I'm really not sure"
The cops said "A poor boy like you, could use this break
We got you for the motel job and we're talkin' to your friend
BelloYou don't want to have to go back to jail, be a nice fellow
You'll be doin' society a favor
That son of a bitch is brave and gettin' braver
We want to put his ass in stir
We want to pin this triple murder on him
He ain't no Gentleman Jim"
Rubin could take a man out with just one punch
But he never did like to talk about it all that much"
It's my work" he'd say, "and I do it for pay
And when it's over I'd just as soon go on my way"
Up to some paradise
Where the trout streams flow and the air is nice
And ride a horse along a trail
But then they took him to the jailhouse
Where they try to turn a man into a mouse
All of Rubin's cards were marked in advance
The trial was a pig-circus, he never had a chance
The judge made Rubin's witnesses drunkards from the slums
To the white folks who watched, he was a revolutionary bum
And for the black folks he was just a crazy nigger
No one doubted that he pulled the trigger
And though they could not produce the gun
The D.A. said he was the one who did the deed
And the all-white jury agreed
Rubin Carter was falsely tried
The crime was murder one, guess who testified?
Bello and Bradley and they both baldly lied
And the newspapers, they all went along for the ride
How can the life of such a man
Be in the palm of some fool's hand?
To see him obviously framed
Couldn't help but make me feel ashamed to live in a land
Where justice is a game
Now all the criminals in their coats and their ties
Are free to drink martinis and watch the sun rise
While Rubin sits like Buddha in a ten-foot cell
An innocent man in a living hell
Yes, that's the story of the Hurricane
But it won't be over 'til they clear his name
And give him back the time he's done
Put in a prison cell, but one time he coulda been
The champion of the world
Source: LyricFind
Songwriters: Bob Dylan / Jacques Levy
Hurricane lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, Wixen Music Publishing
C.: (ring) Hi, d.c. I suppose the effects of the hurricane are over for you so, your lights are back on, along with your internet connection?
d.: (heavy sigh) Yes.
C.: Why so glum then, chum?
d.: Well, my son’s lights are on, but he’s out of town. His and my lights are the only ones that are on. The rest of my family is here, but, besides the two cats, I’m the only male in the house.
C.: So, you’re being treated like a king? (hee hee)
d.: Why are you laughing?
C.: Oh, come on, d.c. we all know how things work, or you should by your age.
d.: Like, Eudora can give me a combination Father’s Day/birthday present because my birthday is about two weeks after Father's Day,
C.: But you can’t give her a combination Christmas/birthday present because her birthday is a few days before Christmas, And you can’t give her a combination Mother’s Day/ Anniversary present because our anniversary is in the same month, obviously.
C.: Yes. And when Eudora was the only female in your house, y’all had to do as she said, but the reverse isn’t true.
d.: Okay, so was it like that on your former planet? I mean, did the king or the queen rule the planet? And who rules Wayne Manor, you, or your husband, Tucker Tucker Two, a.k.a. The Cat Fighter Formerly Known As The Tuxedo (who really needs a shorter nickname) Now Simply Known As T Because Triple T Was Already Taken.
I mean, it is T.'s house, he should be in charge, right?
C.: That’s all the time we have for today, folks. Please join us tomorrow for another episode of Cal.E.’s Korner.
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