A Hard Rain's A-Gonna Fall
Billy Mystic Lyrics

Oh, where have you been, my blue-eyed son? Oh, where have you been, my darling young one?
Asking someone where they have been and what they have seen in their travels.

I've stumbled on the side of twelve misty mountains, I've walked and I've crawled on six crooked highways, I've stepped in the middle of seven sad forests, I've been out in front of a dozen dead oceans, I've been ten thousand miles in the mouth of a graveyard, And it's a hard, and it's a hard, it's a hard, and it's a hard, And it's a hard rain's a-gonna fall.
Describing the hardships and trials faced during their travels including mountains, highways, forests, oceans, graveyards - all described as difficult and a prelude to what's coming.

Oh, what did you see, my blue-eyed son? Oh, what did you see, my darling young one?
Asking what they have witnessed during their journeys.

I saw a newborn baby with wild wolves all around it, I saw a highway of diamonds with nobody on it, I saw a black branch with blood that kept drippin', I saw a room full of men with their hammers a-bleedin', I saw a white ladder all covered with water, I saw ten thousand talkers whose tongues were all broken, I saw guns and sharp swords in the hands of young children, And it's a hard, and it's a hard, it's a hard, it's a hard, And it's a hard rain's a-gonna fall.
Recounting what was seen on the journey, including a mix of beauty and horror such as a baby with wolves, a diamond highway with nobody, a bloody branch, men beating with hammers, a ladder covered in water, talkers with broken tongues, and children with weapons. All of it leads to the same ominous conclusion.

And what did you hear, my blue-eyed son? And what did you hear, my darling young one?
Asking what sounds they experienced during their travels.

I heard the sound of a thunder, it roared out a warnin', Heard the roar of a wave that could drown the whole world, Heard one hundred drummers whose hands were a-blazin', Heard ten thousand whisperin' and nobody listenin', Heard one person starve, I heard many people laughin', Heard the song of a poet who died in the gutter, Heard the sound of a clown who cried in the alley, And it's a hard, and it's a hard, it's a hard, it's a hard, And it's a hard rain's a-gonna fall.
Describing sounds from the travels such as thunder, waves, drums, whispers, starvation, and laughter. There are also mentions of a dying poet and a crying clown. The sounds all lead to the same conclusion.

Oh, who did you meet, my blue-eyed son? Who did you meet, my darling young one?
Asking who they encountered during their travels.

I met a young child beside a dead pony, I met a white man who walked a black dog, I met a young woman whose body was burning, I met a young girl, she gave me a rainbow, I met one man who was wounded in love, I met another man who was wounded with hatred, And it's a hard, it's a hard, it's a hard, it's a hard, It's a hard rain's a-gonna fall.
Listing some of the individuals encountered during travel including a child with a dead pony, a white man and his black dog, a burning woman, a girl who gave a rainbow, and two men who were wounded emotionally. All of these encounters contribute to the impending hard rain.

Oh, what'll you do now, my blue-eyed son? Oh, what'll you do now, my darling young one?
Asking what someone plans to do now that they have experienced so much and know what is coming.

I'm a-goin' back out 'fore the rain starts a-fallin', I'll walk to the depths of the deepest black forest, Where the people are many and their hands are all empty, Where the pellets of poison are flooding their waters, Where the home in the valley meets the damp dirty prison, Where the executioner's face is always well hidden, Where hunger is ugly, where souls are forgotten, Where black is the color, where none is the number, And I'll tell it and think it and speak it and breathe it, And reflect it from the mountain so all souls can see it, Then I'll stand on the ocean until I start sinkin', But I'll know my song well before I start singin', And it's a hard, it's a hard, it's a hard, it's a hard, It's a hard rain's a-gonna fall.
Planning to continue traveling despite the dangers and visit places of deep darkness where there is hunger, death, and suffering. He plans to tell everyone about what he has seen and experienced and hopes to make an impact before he sinks into the ocean. He knows the song that he will sing during this hard time.