Hard Rain's A-Gonna Fall
Roxy Music Lyrics

Oh, where have you been, my blue-eyed son?
Where in the world have you been, my child with blue eyes?

Oh, where have you been, my darling young one?
Where have you been, my beloved child?

I've stumbled on the side of twelve misty mountains,
I fell and struggled on the slope of twelve cloudy peaks.

I've walked and I've crawled on six crooked highways,
I've traveled by foot and on all fours on six winding roads.

I've stepped in the middle of seven sad forests,
I walked in the heart of seven melancholy woods.

I've been out in front of a dozen dead oceans,
I've stood before twelve lifeless seas.

I've been ten thousand miles in the mouth of a graveyard,
I've traveled ten thousand miles within a cemetery.

And it's a hard, and it's a hard, it's a hard, and it's a hard,
And it's very difficult, so difficult.

And it's a hard rain's a-gonna fall.
And a difficult storm is coming.

Oh, what did you see, my blue-eyed son?
What did you witness, my child with blue eyes?

Oh, what did you see, my darling young one?
What did you see, my beloved child?

I saw a newborn baby with wild wolves all around it
I saw a baby surrounded by wild wolves.

I saw a highway of diamonds with nobody on it,
I witnessed a road full of diamonds with no one on it.

I saw a black branch with blood that kept drippin',
I saw a darkness dripping with blood.

I saw a room full of men with their hammers a-bleedin',
I saw a group of men bleeding from their hammers.

I saw a white ladder all covered with water,
I saw a white ladder completely soaked with water.

I saw ten thousand talkers whose tongues were all broken,
I saw ten thousand speakers with silenced tongues.

I saw guns and sharp swords in the hands of young children,
I saw young children with weapons like guns and swords.

And it's a hard, and it's a hard, it's a hard, it's a hard,
And it's very difficult, so difficult.

And it's a hard rain's a-gonna fall.
And a difficult storm is coming.

And what did you hear, my blue-eyed son?
What did you hear, my child with blue eyes?

And what did you hear, my darling young one?
What did you hear, my beloved child?

I heard the sound of a thunder, it roared out a warnin',
I heard thunder warning of something.

Heard the roar of a wave that could drown the whole world,
I heard a great wave that could submerge the world.

Heard one hundred drummers whose hands were a-blazin',
I heard a hundred drummers with fiery hands.

Heard ten thousand whisperin' and nobody listenin',
I heard ten thousand whispers, but no one was listening.

Heard one person starve, I heard many people laughin',
I heard someone starving, and others laughing.

Heard the song of a poet who died in the gutter,
I heard the last song of a poet who died in the street.

Heard the sound of a clown who cried in the alley,
I heard a clown crying in the alleyway.

And it's a hard, and it's a hard, it's a hard, it's a hard,
And it's very difficult, so difficult.

And it's a hard rain's a-gonna fall.
And a difficult storm is coming.

Oh, who did you meet, my blue-eyed son?
Who did you meet, my child with blue eyes?

Who did you meet, my darling young one?
Who did you meet, my beloved child?

I met a young child beside a dead pony,
I met a young child next to a deceased pony.

I met a white man who walked a black dog,
I met a white man walking a black dog.

I met a young woman whose body was burning,
I met a young woman burning from within.

I met a young girl, she gave me a rainbow,
I met a young girl who shared a rainbow with me.

I met one man who was wounded in love,
I met a man who was hurt by love.

I met another man who was wounded with hatred,
I met a man injured by the emotion of hate.

And it's a hard, it's a hard, it's a hard, it's a hard,
And it's very difficult, so difficult.

It's a hard rain's a-gonna fall.
And a difficult storm is coming.

Oh, what'll you do now, my blue-eyed son?
What will you do now, my child with blue eyes?

Oh, what'll you do now, my darling young one?
What will you do now, my beloved child?

I'm a-goin' back out 'fore the rain starts a-fallin',
I'll leave before the rain begins to fall.

I'll walk to the depths of the deepest black forest,
I'll hike to the bottom of the darkest forest.

Where the people are many and their hands are all empty,
Where people are abundant but lack possessions.

Where the pellets of poison are flooding their waters,
Where toxic pellets are contaminating their water.

Where the home in the valley meets the damp dirty prison,
Where the residence in the valley meets the wet, filthy jail.

Where the executioner's face is always well hidden,
Where the face of the executioner is always veiled.

Where hunger is ugly, where souls are forgotten,
Where hunger is unappealing and souls are ignored.

Where black is the color, where none is the number,
Where darkness is the color, and nothingness is the number.

And I'll tell it and think it and speak it and breathe it,
And I will explain it, ponder it, pronounce it, and live it.

And reflect it from the mountain so all souls can see it,
And I will echo it from the mountain so everyone can witness it.

Then I'll stand on the ocean until I start sinkin',
Then I will stand on the sea until I begin to sink.

But I'll know my song well before I start singin',
But I will know my tune fully before I begin to sing it.

And it's a hard, it's a hard, it's a hard, it's a hard,
And it's very difficult, so difficult.

It's a hard rain's a-gonna fall.
And a difficult storm is coming.