Judge Harsh Blues
Furry Lewis Lyrics


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Good morning judge, what may be my fine?
Good morning judge, what may be my fine?
Fifty dollars, eleven twenty-nine
They 'rest me for murder, I ain't harmed a man
'Rest me for murder, I ain't harmed a man
Women hollerin' murderer, Lord I ain't raised my hand
I ain't got nobody to get me out on bond
I ain't got nobody to get me out on bond
I would not mind but I ain't done nothing wrong
Please Judge Harsh, make it light 's you pos'bly can
Please Judge Harsh, make it light 's you pos'bly can
I ain't did no work judge since I don't know when
My woman come runnin' with a hundred dollars in her hand
Woman come runnin' with a hundred dollars in her hand
Cryin' Judge, judge, please spare my man
Woman, hundred won't do, better run and get you three
Woman, hundred won't do, better run and get you three
That'll keep your man from penitentiary
Baby cause I'm arrested, please don't grieve and moan
Cause I'm arrested baby, don't grieve and moan
Penitentiary seem just like my home
People all talking 'bout what they will do




Judge all talking 'bout what they will do
If they had justice he'd be in penitentiary too

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Furry Lewis's song "Judge Harsh Blues" depict a man standing before a judge, pleading for mercy for a crime he claims he did not commit. He asks the judge what his fine will be, and the judge responds with a sentence of $50 and 11 months and 29 days in jail. The man protests that he did not harm anyone and states that he has no one to post bail. His wife comes to court with $100, but the judge insists that she needs at least $300 to keep her husband out of prison.


The man reflects on his situation, saying that he has not worked in a long time and the prison seems like his home. He laments the fact that people are talking about what they would do if they were in his situation, but no one seems to care about the truth. Throughout the song, the man begs Judge Harsh to give him a lighter sentence, even though he did not do anything wrong.


The lyrics of "Judge Harsh Blues" are a powerful commentary on the injustice of a legal system that is stacked against poor and vulnerable people. The man in the song is at the mercy of a judge who seems disinterested in the truth and more interested in punishing him. The fact that the man's wife is forced to come up with $300 to keep her husband out of prison shows how even love and loyalty can be exploited by a system that does not care about justice.


Line by Line Meaning

Good morning judge, what may be my fine?
Asking the judge the amount of his fine


Fifty dollars, eleven twenty-nine
The amount of the fine he has to pay


'Rest me for murder, I ain't harmed a man
Being accused of murder, but he did not do it


Women hollerin' murderer, Lord I ain't raised my hand
Women accusing him of murder, despite not doing it


I ain't got nobody to get me out on bond
Does not have anyone to help pay for his release


I would not mind but I ain't done nothing wrong
He is willing to pay the bond, but he did not commit the crime


Please Judge Harsh, make it light 's you pos'bly can
Asking the judge to lower the fine if possible


I ain't did no work judge since I don't know when
Has not worked in a while and is unable to pay the fine


My woman come runnin' with a hundred dollars in her hand
His woman comes to help him by providing money


Cryin' Judge, judge, please spare my man
Pleading with the judge to have mercy on her man


Woman, hundred won't do, better run and get you three
Hundred dollars is not enough, and she needs to bring more money to help him


That'll keep your man from penitentiary
The money can be used to keep him out of prison


Baby cause I'm arrested, please don't grieve and moan
Asking his partner not to be sad about his arrest


Penitentiary seem just like my home
Being in prison feels like being at home due to the frequency of his visits


People all talking 'bout what they will do
People are discussing taking justice into their own hands


Judge all talking 'bout what they will do
The judge is talking about what he plans to do in the case


If they had justice he'd be in penitentiary too
If the justice system was fair, he would not have been arrested and accused of this crime




Writer(s): Furry Lewis Copyright: Peer International Corporation

Contributed by Maya T. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
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