Hurricane
The Rolling Thunder Revue Lyrics

Pistol shots ring out in the barroom night
The sound of gunshots breaks the silence of the dimly lit bar

Enter Patty Valentine from the upper hall
Patty Valentine enters the scene from upstairs

She sees the bartender in a pool of blood
She witnesses the bartender lying in a pool of his own blood

Cries out, 'My God, they killed them all!'
Patty exclaims in shock that everyone has been killed

Here comes the story of the Hurricane
Now, the tale of the accused man known as Hurricane begins

The man the authorities came to blame
The authorities falsely accused this man of the crime

For somethin' that he never done
He is being blamed for a crime he didn't commit

Put in a prison cell, but one time he could-a been
Although he was imprisoned, there was a time when he had the potential

The champion of the world
To become a world champion in his field

Three bodies lyin' there does Patty see
Patty notices three dead bodies lying in front of her

And another man named Bello, movin' around mysteriously
A man named Bello is seen acting suspiciously

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

'I was only robbin' the register, I hope you understand
He admits to only robbing the cash register and hopes for understanding

I saw them leavin', he says, and he stops
Bello claims to have witnessed the culprits leaving before halting

'One of us had better call up the cops.'
Realizing the seriousness of the situation, he suggests calling the police

And so Patty calls the cops
Patty takes the initiative and dials the police

And they arrive on the scene with their red lights flashin'
The police quickly respond, arriving with their flashing red lights

In the hot New Jersey night
This unfolds on a sweltering night in New Jersey

Meanwhile, far away in another part of town
In a different area of town, distant from the bar

Rubin Carter and a couple of friends are drivin' around
Rubin Carter and some friends are cruising aimlessly in a car

Number one contender for the middleweight crown
Rubin Carter is a leading contender for the boxing title in his weight division

Had no idea what kinda shit was about to go down
Unaware of the impending trouble about to befall him

When a cop pulled him over to the side of the road
A police officer stops him by the roadside

Just like the time before and the time before that
Similar to past experiences, he has been stopped by the police before

In Paterson that's just the way things go
In the city of Paterson, such encounters with law enforcement are commonplace

'Less you want to draw the heat
Unless he desires unwanted attention from the authorities

Alfred Bello had a partner and he had a rap for the cops
Alfred Bello had an associate who had a history with the police

Him and Arthur Dexter Bradley were just out prowlin' around
Both Bello and Arthur Dexter Bradley were aimlessly wandering the area

He said, 'I saw two men runnin' out, they looked like middleweights
Bello claims to have seen two men, resembling boxers, fleeing the scene

They jumped into a white car with out-of-state plates.'
According to Bello, the suspects fled in a white car with out-of-state license plates

And Miss Patty Valentine just nodded her head
Patty Valentine, acknowledging Bello's statement, simply nods

Cop said, 'Wait a minute, boys, this one's not dead'
One of the police officers realizes that one of the victims is still alive

So they took him to the infirmary
They transport the wounded individual to the infirmary

And though this man could hardly see
Despite the victim's impaired vision

They told him that he could identify the guilty men
They instruct him that he has the ability to identify the culprits

Four in the mornin' and they haul Rubin in
At four o'clock in the morning, the police arrest Rubin

Take him to the hospital and they bring him upstairs
They transport Rubin to the hospital and lead him to an upper floor

The wounded man looks up through his one dyin' eye
With his one remaining eye, the injured man gazes upwards

Says, 'Wha'd you bring him in here for? He ain't the guy!'
He expresses confusion as to why they brought Rubin to him, as he is not the perpetrator

Yes, here's the story of the Hurricane
The narrative continues in recounting the life of Hurricane

The man the authorities came to blame
The man whom the authorities wrongly accused

For somethin' that he never done
Charged with a crime he never committed

Put in a prison cell, but one time he could-a been
Although imprisoned, there was a time when he had the potential to achieve greatness

The champion of the world
To become the world champion in his field

Four months later, the ghettos are in flame
After four months, the poverty-stricken areas are engulfed in chaos

Rubin's in South America, fightin' for his name
Rubin fights to restore his reputation in South America

While Arthur Dexter Bradley's still in the robbery game
Arthur Dexter Bradley continues to engage in criminal activities

And the cops are puttin' the screws to him, lookin' for somebody to blame
The police are pressuring him, searching for a scapegoat to accuse

'Remember that murder that happened in a bar?'
The police remind him of the bar murder incident

'Remember you said you saw the getaway car?'
They recall his statement regarding the car used for the escape

'You think you'd like to play ball with the law?'
They inquire if he is willing to cooperate with them

'Think it might-a been that fighter that you saw runnin' that night?'
They suggest if he saw the boxer fleeing from the scene that night

'Don't forget that you are white.'
They emphasize the racial aspect, acknowledging his privilege

Arthur Dexter Bradley said, 'I'm really not sure.'
Arthur Dexter Bradley admits uncertainty and lack of certainty

Cops said, 'A poor boy like you could use a break
The police exploit his socio-economic status, offering him an advantage

We got you for the motel job and we're talkin' to your friend Bello
They mention having evidence connecting him to a motel crime and interrogating his friend Bello

Now you don't wanta have to go back to jail, be a nice fellow
They manipulate him with the fear of returning to jail, urging him to cooperate

You'll be doin' society a favor
They persuade him that assisting them will benefit society

That sonofabitch is brave and gettin' braver
They portray the accused person as courageous and becoming more audacious

We want to put his ass in stir
Their intention is to imprison him

We want to pin this triple murder on him
They are determined to attribute the triple murder to him

He ain't no Gentleman Jim.'
They emphasize that the accused person is not a respectable figure

Rubin could take a man out with just one punch
Rubin possesses the ability to knock out opponents with a single blow

But he never did like to talk about it all that much
However, he is not fond of boasting about his strength and skills

It's my work, he'd say, and I do it for pay
Rubin considers his boxing as a profession and does it for monetary compensation

And when it's over I'd just as soon go on my way
After finishing a fight, he prefers to move on

Up to some paradise
To a heavenly and peaceful place

Where the trout streams flow and the air is nice
A serene location with flowing trout streams and pleasant air

And ride a horse along a trail
He envisions riding a horse along a scenic path

But then they took him to the jailhouse
His aspirations are shattered when he is taken to the prison

Where they try to turn a man into a mouse
The prison authorities attempt to dehumanize and break the spirit of the inmates

All of Rubin's cards were marked in advance
Rubin's fate was predetermined, and the odds were stacked against him from the beginning

The trial was a pig-circus, he never had a chance
The trial was a spectacle, biased against him, denying him any hope of a fair trial

The judge made Rubin's witnesses drunkards from the slums
The judge discredited Rubin's witnesses, portraying them as alcoholics from impoverished areas

To the white folks who watched he was a revolutionary bum
To the white spectators, he appeared as a rebellious and vagrant troublemaker

And to the black folks he was just a crazy nigger
The black community saw him as an eccentric, mentally unstable African American

No one doubted that he pulled the trigger
There was no doubt in anyone's mind that he had committed the crime

And though they could not produce the gun
Even though the prosecution lacked the firearm as evidence

The D.A. said he was the one who did the deed
The district attorney insisted that he was the perpetrator

And the all-white jury agreed
The completely white jury concurred with the D.A.'s assertion

Rubin Carter was falsely tried
Rubin Carter was unjustly subjected to a trial

The crime was murder 'one,' guess who testified?
The crime was classified as first-degree murder, and guess who provided testimony?

Bello and Bradley and they both baldly lied
Both Bello and Bradley confidently lied under oath

And the newspapers, they all went along for the ride
The newspapers unquestioningly supported and promoted the false narrative

How can the life of such a man
How can one man's life

Be in the palm of some fool's hand?
Be controlled by the whims of an ignorant person?

To see him obviously framed
To witness his obvious setup

Couldn't help but make me feel ashamed to live in a land
It evokes a sense of shame to reside in a country

Where justice is a game
Where the concept of justice is treated as a mere game

Now all the criminals in their coats and their ties
Now, the well-dressed criminals

Are free to drink martinis and watch the sun rise
Enjoy the freedom to savor their drinks and witness the sunrise

While Rubin sits like Buddha in a ten-foot cell
Meanwhile, Rubin sits calmly, resembling a Buddha, confined in a small prison cell

An innocent man in a living hell
He is an innocent man enduring a torturous existence

That's the story of the Hurricane
That concludes the tale of Hurricane

But it won't be over till they clear his name
The story is not complete until his name is vindicated

And give him back the time he's done
And return the years of his life spent in prison

Put in a prison cell, but one time he could-a been
He was imprisoned, yet there was a time when he had the potential

The champion of the world
To become the world champion in his field