Hurricane
Bob Dylan
Struggling with Hurricane? Become a better singer in 30 days with these videos!
Pistol shots ring out in the barroom night Enter Patty Valentine from the upper hall She sees the bartender in a pool of blood Cries out, "My God, they killed them all!" Here comes the story of the Hurricane The man the authorities came to blame For somethin' that he never done Put in a prison cell, but one time he could-a been The champion of the world Three bodies lyin' there does Patty see And another man named Bello, movin' around mysteriously "I didn't do it," he says, and he throws up his hands "I was only robbin' the register, I hope you understand I saw them leavin'," he says, and he stops "One of us had better call up the cops." And so Patty calls the cops And they arrive on the scene with their red lights flashin' In the hot New Jersey night Meanwhile, far away in another part of town Rubin Carter and a couple of friends are drivin' around Number one contender for the middleweight crown Had no idea what kinda shit was about to go down When a cop pulled him over to the side of the road Just like the time before and the time before that In Paterson that's just the way things go If you're black you might as well not show up on the street 'Less you want to draw the heat Alfred Bello had a partner and he had a rap for the cops Him and Arthur Dexter Bradley were just out prowlin' around He said, "I saw two men runnin' out, they looked like middleweights They jumped into a white car with out-of-state plates." And Miss Patty Valentine just nodded her head Cop said, "Wait a minute, boys, this one's not dead" So they took him to the infirmary And though this man could hardly see They told him that he could identify the guilty men Four in the mornin' and they haul Rubin in Take him to the hospital and they bring him upstairs The wounded man looks up through his one dyin' eye Says, "Wha'd you bring him in here for? He ain't the guy!" Yes, here's the story of the Hurricane The man the authorities came to blame For somethin' that he never done Put in a prison cell, but one time he could-a been The champion of the world Four months later, the ghettos are in flame Rubin's in South America, fightin' for his name While Arthur Dexter Bradley's still in the robbery game And the cops are puttin' the screws to him, lookin' for somebody to blame "Remember that murder that happened in a bar?" "Remember you said you saw the getaway car?" "You think you'd like to play ball with the law?" "Think it might-a been that fighter that you saw runnin' that night?" "Don't forget that you are white." Arthur Dexter Bradley said, "I'm really not sure." Cops said, "A poor boy like you could use a break We got you for the motel job and we're talkin' to your friend Bello Now you don't wanta have to go back to jail, be a nice fellow You'll be doin' society a favor That sonofabitch is brave and gettin' braver We want to put his ass in stir We want to pin this triple murder on him He ain't no Gentleman Jim." Rubin could take a man out with just one punch But he never did like to talk about it all that much It's my work, he'd say, and I do it for pay And when it's over I'd just as soon go on my way Up to some paradise Where the trout streams flow and the air is nice And ride a horse along a trail But then they took him to the jailhouse Where they try to turn a man into a mouse All of Rubin's cards were marked in advance The trial was a pig-circus, he never had a chance The judge made Rubin's witnesses drunkards from the slums To the white folks who watched he was a revolutionary bum And to the black folks he was just a crazy n*gger No one doubted that he pulled the trigger And though they could not produce the gun The D.A. said he was the one who did the deed And the all-white jury agreed Rubin Carter was falsely tried The crime was murder "one," guess who testified? Bello and Bradley and they both baldly lied And the newspapers, they all went along for the ride How can the life of such a man Be in the palm of some fool's hand? To see him obviously framed Couldn't help but make me feel ashamed to live in a land Where justice is a game Now all the criminals in their coats and their ties Are free to drink martinis and watch the sun rise While Rubin sits like Buddha in a ten-foot cell An innocent man in a living hell That's the story of the Hurricane But it won't be over till they clear his name And give him back the time he's done Put in a prison cell, but one time he could-a been The champion of the world
Struggling with Hurricane? Become a better singer in 30 days with these videos!
Written by: Jacques Levy, Bob Dylan
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
10 facts about this song
Song details"Hurricane" is a song by American musician Bob Dylan, a Nobel laureate. The song, co-written with Jacques Levy, appeared on his 1976 album "Desire."
|
Subject MatterThe song is about the grappling story of Rubin "Hurricane" Carter, a middleweight boxer who was wrongfully convicted for a triple murder in a bar in Paterson, New Jersey, during the 1960s.
|
ActivismThe song was Dylan's attempt to bring Carter's plight to a wider audience. It was part of his commitment to protest songs and social activism, showing empathy with the marginalized and wrongfully accused.
|
Legal ImplicationsDylan's depiction of the facts led to a defamation lawsuit from a man specifically named in the song - Patterson police officer Vincent "Patty" Valentine, who alleged the song falsely accused him of criminal conduct. The case was later dropped.
|
Commercial SuccessThe song was released as a single in 1975 and reached the 33rd spot on the Billboard Hot 100 Chart. However, due to its strong language and controversy involving alleged factual inaccuracies, several radio stations refused to play it.
|
Song Length"Hurricane" is known for its length. The song has a running time of more than 8 minutes, making it one of the longest songs Bob Dylan has ever recorded.
|
Live performancesAlthough an important and well-known song in Bob Dylan's discography, "Hurricane" was only performed live during the Rolling Thunder Revue shows in 1975 and 1976.
|
Cultural ImpactThe song and its subject matter inspired a 1999 movie named "The Hurricane" starring Denzel Washington as Rubin Carter, spotlighting the issues of racial prejudice and distortions of justice.
|
RevisionThe first recorded version of the song contained some profanity which led to Columbia Records refusing its release, leading Dylan to record a cleaner version that became a part of his album.
|
Musical StyleLike many Dylan pieces, this song doesn't follow traditional pop or rock song structures. It's a stream-of-consciousness narration set to a simple, repeated chord pattern, exhibiting Dylan's folk storytelling roots.
|
Citation
Use the citation below to add these lyrics to your bibliography:
Style:MLAChicagoAPA
"Hurricane Lyrics." Lyrics.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 23 May 2024. <https://www.lyrics.com/lyric/35865988/Bob+Dylan/Hurricane>.
Discuss the Hurricane Lyrics with the community:
Report Comment
We're doing our best to make sure our content is useful, accurate and safe.
If by any chance you spot an inappropriate comment while navigating through our website please use this form to let us know, and we'll take care of it shortly.
Attachment
You need to be logged in to favorite.
Log In