A Hard Rain's A-Gonna Fall
Bryan Ferry Lyrics

Oh where have you been, my blue eyed son?
Where have you been, my beloved child?

Where have you been, my darling young one?
Where have you roamed, dear one?

I've stumbled on the side of twelve misty mountains
I have struggled through a dozen treacherous terrains

Walked and I've crawled on six crooked highways
I have moved forward in the face of adversity down six difficult roads

Stepped in the middle of seven sad forests
I have stood amidst seven sorrowful woods

Been out in front of a dozen dead oceans
I have wandered along the shores of twelve lifeless seas

I've been ten thousand miles in a mouth of a graveyard
I have travelled thousands of miles through graveyards, where death is ever present

And it's a hard and it's a hard and it's a hard and it's a hard
It is an immense challenge, and it keeps getting more difficult

And it's a hard rain's a gonna fall
A heavy deluge of troubles awaits

Oh what did you see, my blue eyed son?
What did you witness, my dear child?

What did you see, my darling young one?
Tell me, what did your eyes behold?

I saw a newborn baby with wild wolves around it
I saw a newborn child surrounded by danger and potential harm

I saw a highway of diamonds with nobody on it
I saw a path of riches devoid of any company

I saw a black branch with blood that kept drippin'
I saw a dark tree branch, blood still flowing from it

I saw a room full of men with their hammers a bleedin'
I saw a chamber packed with laborers, their hands seeping with blood

A white ladder all covered with water
A pale ladder drenched entirely in water

I saw ten thousand talkers whose tongues were all broken
I saw tens of thousands of chatterboxes rendered speechless

I saw guns and sharp swords in the hands of young children
Innocent youths wielded deadly weapons

And it's a hard and it's a hard and it's a hard hard
It is an immense challenge, a great hardship

And it's a hard rain's a gonna fall
A heavy deluge of troubles awaits

And what did you hear, my blue eyed son?
What did you listen to, dear child?

What did you hear, my darling young one
Tell me, what did you hear?

I heard the sound of thunder that roared out a warning
I heard ominous thunderclaps, a harbinger of danger

Heard the roar of a wave that could drown the whole world
I felt the deafening sound of a tide capable of submerging everything

Heard one hundred drummers whose hands were a blazin'
I registered a hundred fiery percussionists beating their drums

Heard ten thousand whisperin' and nobody listenin'
I noticed ten thousand whispers unheard by anybody

Heard one person starve, many people laughin'
I overheard the cries of someone dying of hunger, while others joyfully laughed

Heard the song of a poet who died in the gutter
I heard a poet's song, sung with passion, despite his tragic, untimely demise

Heard the sound of a clown who cried in the alley
I heard the mournful sobs of a clown in the narrow street

And it's a hard and it's a hard and it's a hard hard hard hard
It is an immense challenge, and ever-growing in difficulty

And it's a hard rain's a gonna fall
A heavy deluge of troubles awaits

Oh who you did meet, my blue eyed son?
Whom did you encounter on your journey, dear child?

Who did you meet, my darling young one?
Tell me, whom did you come across?

I met a young child beside a dead pony
I encountered a little one beside a deceased steed

I met a white man who walked a black dog
I chanced upon a Caucasian fellow walking a dark puppy

I met a young girl whose body was burning
I met a youthful lady who was dying, engulfed in flames

A young girl, she gave me a rainbow
A young girl granted me the gift of a vibrant multicolored arch

I met one man who was wounded in love
I encountered a man who had been injured emotionally

Another man who was wounded with hatred
I also came across someone whose wounds were caused by intense hostility

And it's a hard and it's a hard and it's a hard
The road ahead is an immense challenge

And it's a hard rain's a gonna fall
A heavy deluge of troubles awaits

Oh what'll you do now, my blue-eyed son?
What will be your next move, dear child?

What'll you do now, my darling young one?
Tell me, what is your plan?

I'm goin' back out 'fore the rain starts fallin'
I will journey once more before the tempest arrives

Walk to the depths of the deepest black forest
I shall venture into the heart of the darkest woods

Where people are many and their hands are all empty
Where people abound, but they all possess nothing

Where pellets of poison are flooding the waters
Where toxic specks contaminate the streams

Where the home in the valley meets the damp dirty prison
Where a humble dwelling in the valley stands alongside a filthy, cold jail

Where the executioner's face is always well hidden
Where the one who enacts punishment always keeps his visage veiled

Where hunger is ugly, where souls are forgotten
Where hunger is revolting and spirits are disregarded

Where black is the color, and none is the number
Where everything is pitch black, and there is complete desolation

And I'll tell it and think it and speak it and breathe it
I shall share, reflect upon, proclaim, and live out my experiences

And reflect it from the mountains so all souls can see it
I will cast my stories throughout the mountains so that all can bear witness

Then I'll stand in the ocean until I start sinking
Then I will stand in the sea until I begin to sink

But I'll know my song well before I start singing
But I will be fully prepared to sing my anthem

And it's a hard it's a hard and it's a hard
It is an immense challenge, ever-surmounting in difficulty

And it's a hard rain's a gonna fall
A heavy deluge of troubles awaits

And it's a hard and it's a hard and it's a hard
It will be a great struggle, and it will only get more difficult

And it's a hard rain's a gonna fall
A heavy deluge of troubles awaits

And it's a hard and it's a hard and it's a so hard
It is an immense, gargantuan struggle

And it's a hard rain's a gonna fall
A heavy deluge of troubles awaits