Hurricane
Bob Dylan (PD) Lyrics

Pistol shots ring out in the barroom night
Gunshots are heard in a bar at night.

Enter Patty Valentine from the upper hall
Patty Valentine walks in from upstairs.

She sees a bartender in a pool of blood
Patty Valentine finds a bartender lying in a pool of blood.

Cries out my God, they killed them all
Patty Valentine exclaims that everyone has been killed.

Here comes the story of the Hurricane
The song is about the man known as the Hurricane.

The man the authorities came to blame
The Hurricane is the person who the authorities blamed for the crime.

For somethin' that he never done
The Hurricane was blamed for a crime he didn't commit.

Put in a prison cell, but one time he could-a been
The Hurricane was once a contender for the boxing championship.

The champion of the world
The Hurricane has the potential to be the world champion boxer.

Three bodies lyin' there does Patty see
Patty sees three dead bodies.

And another man named Bello, movin' around mysteriously
Another man named Bello is acting suspiciously.

I didn't do it, he says, and he throws up his hands
Bello denies any involvement and raises his hands.

I was only robbin' the register, I hope you understand
Bello admits to only robbing the register and hopes to be understood.

I saw them leavin', he says, and he stops
Bello says he saw someone leaving and then stops talking.

One of us had better call up the cops
Someone needs to call the police.

And so Patty calls the cops
Patty calls the police.

And they arrive on the scene with their red lights flashin'
The police arrive with their sirens and lights on.

In the hot New Jersey night
The events take place in a hot New Jersey night.

Meanwhile, far away in another part of town
Somewhere else, Rubin Carter and his friends are driving around.

Rubin Carter and a couple of friends are drivin' around
Rubin and his friends are driving around.

Number one contender for the middleweight crown
Rubin is the number one contender for the middleweight boxing championship title.

Had no idea what kinda shit was about to go down
Rubin was unaware of what was going to happen.

When a cop pulled him over to the side of the road
A police officer stops Rubin on the side of the road.

Just like the time before and the time before that
Rubin has been stopped by police multiple times before.

In Paterson that's just the way things go
Getting stopped by police is a normal occurrence in Paterson.

'Less you want to draw the heat
It's advisable to avoid getting attention from the police.

Alfred Bello had a partner and he had a rap for the cops
Alfred Bello's partner has a criminal record.

Him and Arthur Dexter Bradley were just out prowlin' around
Bello and Bradley were just wandering around.

He said, I saw two men runnin' out, they looked like middleweights
Bello claims to have seen two men who appeared to be middleweight boxers.

They jumped into a white car with out-of-state plates
The two men escaped in a white car with out-of-state license plates.

And Miss Patty Valentine just nodded her head
Patty Valentine agrees with what Bello said.

Cop said, wait a minute, boys, this one's not dead
One of the men is still alive and the police take him to the hospital.

So they took him to the infirmary
The police took the wounded man to the hospital.

And though this man could hardly see
The wounded man had difficulty seeing.

They told him that he could identify the guilty men
The police told him to identify the criminals.

Four in the mornin' and they haul Rubin in
The police arrest Rubin at 4 AM.

They took him to the hospital and they brought him upstairs
Rubin was taken to the hospital and then to a jail cell upstairs.

The wounded man looks up through his one dyin' eye
The wounded man looks at Rubin with his remaining eye.

Says, wha'd you bring him in here for? He ain't the guy!
The wounded man says the police arrested the wrong person.

Four months later, the ghettos are in flame
Four months later, the ghettos are set on fire.

Rubin's in South America, fightin' for his name
Rubin is in South America, fighting to clear his name.

While Arthur Dexter Bradley's still in the robbery game
Bradley is still committing robberies.

And the cops are puttin' the screws to him, lookin' for somebody to blame
The police are pressuring Bradley to find someone to blame.

Remember that murder that happened in a bar
The police bring up the murder that happened in a bar.

Remember you said you saw the getaway car
The police remind Bradley that he claimed to have seen the getaway car.

You think you'd like to play ball with the law
The police want Bradley to cooperate with them.

Think it might-a been that fighter that you saw runnin' that night
The police suggest that Bradley saw Rubin running that night.

Don't forget that you are white
The police remind Bradley that he has more credibility as a white person.

Arthur Dexter Bradley said I'm really not sure
Bradley is unsure of what he saw.

The cops said a poor boy like you could use a break
The police try to bribe Bradley by saying he could use a break.

We got you for the motel job and we're talkin' to your friend Bello
The police say they have evidence and they are talking to Bello.

You'll be doin' society a favor
The police tell Bradley he will help society by cooperating.

That sonofabitch is brave and gettin' braver
The police talk negatively about Rubin.

We want to put his ass in stir
The police want to imprison Rubin.

We want to pin this triple murder on him
The police want to blame Rubin for the triple murder.

He ain't no Gentleman Jim
Rubin is not a respectable gentleman.

Rubin could take a man out with just one punch
Rubin is known for his knockout power.

But he never did like to talk about it all that much
Rubin doesn't like to boast about his boxing ability.

It's my work, he'd say, and I do it for pay
Rubin approaches boxing as a job and for compensation.

And when it's over I'd just as soon go on my way
After boxing, Rubin wants to continue with his own life.

Up to some paradise
Rubin desires to go to a paradise after his boxing career.

Where the trout streams flow and the air is nice
Rubin wants to go somewhere with peaceful surroundings.

And ride a horse along a trail
Rubin looks forward to enjoying simple pleasures like horseback riding.

Where justice is a game
The United States justice system is unreliable and unjust, from Rubin's perspective.

Now all the criminals in their coats and their ties
Criminals in position of power are free and going about their normal routines.

Are free to drink martinis and watch the sun rise
The criminals are drinking and watching the sunrise.

While Rubin sits like Buddha in a ten-foot cell
Rubin is in a small jail cell and unable to do anything.

An innocent man in a living hell
Rubin is innocent and yet suffering in jail.

But it won't be over till they clear his name
The song implies that the fight for Rubin's justice is not over yet and will continue until his name is cleared.

And give him back the time he's done
Rubin deserves the time he served in jail be given back to him when he is proven innocent.