[Intro]

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[Verse 1]

            
Pistol shots r

              
ing out in the

 
 barroom night
            
Enter Patty Va

              
lentine from t

   
he upper hall
            
  She sees the

              
 bartender in 

  
a pool of bloo

d
            
 Cries out "My

          
 God they kill

ed them all!"
 
             
  Here comes t

              
he story of th

           
e Hurricane
             
  The man the 

            
authorities ca

me to blame
            
  For somethin

              
g that he neve

  
r done
            
  Put in a pri

             
son cell but o

ne time 
              
He could have 

           
been the champ

             
ion of the wor

    
ld


[Instrumental]

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[Verse 2]

            
  Three bodies

              
 lyin’ there d

    
oes Patty see
            
And another ma

              
n named Bello,

         
 movin’ around

 mysteriously
            
  “I didn’t do

              
 it,” he says,

        
 and he throws

 up his hands
            
“I was only ro

              
bbin’ the regi

        
ster, I hope y

ou understand
         
  I saw them l

             
eavin’,” he sa

          
ys, and he sto

   
ps
         
  “One of us h

             
ad better call

 
 up the cops”
            
  And so Patty

           
 calls the cop

s
            
  And they arr

             
ive on the sce

              
ne with their 

         
red lights fla

shin’
             
In the hot New

              
 Jersey night


[Instrumental]

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[Verse 3]

            
Meanwhile, far

          
 away in anoth

er part of tow

n
            
Rubin Carter a

              
nd a couple of

 
 friends are d

rivin’ around
            
Number one con

              
tender for the

 
 middleweight 

crown
            
Had no idea wh

              
at kinda shit 

     
was about to g

o down
         
  When a cop p

              
ulled him over

          
 to the side o

.           
f the road
         
  Just like th

              
e time before 

          
and the time b

.
efore that
            
In Paterson th

              
at’s just the 

           
way things go
            
If you’re blac

              
k you might as

             
 well not show

         
 up on the str

eet
             
’Less you wann

             
a draw the hea

   
t


[Instrumental]

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[Verse 4]

            
Alfred Bello h

              
ad a partner a

            
nd he had a ra

p for the cops
            
Him and Arthur

              
 Dexter Bradle

              
y were just ou

  
t prowlin’ aro

und
            
He said, “I sa

              
w two men runn

              
in’ out, they 


looked like mi

ddleweights
            
Jumped into a 

              
white car with

 
 out-of-state 

plates”
         
  And Miss Pat

              
ty Valentine j

         
ust nodded her

       
 head
         
Cop said, “Wai

              
t a minute, bo

       
ys, this one’s

 not dead”
            
So they took h

              
im to the infi

    
rmary
            
  And though t

              
his man could 

       
hardly see
            
They told him 

            
he could ident

             
ify the guilty

     
 men


[Instrumental]

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[Verse 5]

            
  Four in the 

              
mornin’ and th

   
ey haul Rubin 

in
            
They took him 

              
to the hospita

           
l and they bro

ught him upsta

irs
            
The wounded ma

              
n looks up thr

         
ough his one d

yin’ eye
            
"Say, why’d yo

              
u bring him in

              
 here for?  He

 
 ain’t the guy

!”
         
  Yes, here’s 

              
the story of t

         
he Hurricane
         
  The man the 

             
authorities ca

 
me to blame
            
  For somethin

              
’ that he neve

  
r done
            
  Put in a pri

              
son cell, but 

           
one time he co

      
uld-a been
             
The champion o

            
f the world


[Instrumental]

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[Verse 6]

            
  Four months 

           
later, the ghe

ttos are in fl

ame
            
Rubin’s in Sou

           
th America fig

htin’ for his 

name
            
While Arthur D

              
exter Bradley’

              
s still in the

 
 robbery game
            
And the cops a

              
re puttin’ the

              
 screws to him

             
 lookin’ for s

omebody to bla

me
         
  “Remember th

              
at murder that

         
 happened in a

       
 bar?
         
  Remember you

              
 said you saw 

      
the getaway ca

r?
            
You think you’

              
d like to play

              
 ball with the

 
 law?
            
Think it might

              
-a been that f

              
ighter that yo

           
u saw runnin’ 

     
that night?
             
Don’t forget t

             
hat you are wh

       
ite.”


[Instrumental]

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[Verse 7]

            
Arthur Dexter 

              
Bradley said, 

     
“I’m really no

t sure”
            
The cop said, 

              
“A poor boy li

             
ke you could u

se a break
            
We got you for

              
 the motel job

           
 and we’re tal

kin’ to your f

riend Bello
            
You don’t want

              
a have to go b

             
ack to jail, b

e a nice fello

w
         
  You’ll be do

              
in’ society a 

    
favor
         
  That sonofab

          
itch is brave 

.
and gettin’ br

aver
            
  We want to p

              
ut his ass in 

 
stir
            
  We want to p

              
in this triple

        
 murder on him
             
He ain’t no Ge

             
ntleman Jim”


[Instrumental]

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[Verse 8]

            
Rubin could ta

              
ke a man out w

    
ith just one p

unch
            
But he never d

              
id like to tal

           
k about it all

 that much
            
It’s my work, 

            
he’d say, I do

 it for pay
            
And when it’s 

              
over I’d just 

   
as soon go on 

my way
        
  Up to some p

     
aradise
         
  Where the tr

              
out streams fl

             
ow and the air


 is nice
            
  And ride a h

             
orse along a t

rail
            
  But then the

              
y took him to 

       
the jailhouse
            
Where they try

             
 to turn a man

              
 into a mouse


[Instrumental]

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[Verse 9]

            
All of Rubin’s

            
 cards were ma

rked in advanc

e
            
The trial was 

              
a pig-circus, 

   
he never had a

 chance
            
The judge made

              
 Rubin’s witne

     
sses drunkards

 from the slum

s
            
To the white f

              
olks who watch

            
ed he was a re

volutionary bu

m
         
  And to the b

              
lack folks he 

             
was just a cra

       
zy nigger
         
  No one doubt

             
ed that he pul


led the trigge

r
            
  And though t

              
hey could not 

            
produce the gu

n
            
The D.A. said 

             
he was the one

           
 who did the d


eed
             
And the all-wh

             
ite jury agree

   
d


[Instrumental]

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[Verse 10]

            
  Rubin Carter

     
 was falsely t

ried
            
The crime was 

              
murder “one.” 

 
 Guess who tes

tified?
            
  Bello and Br

              
adley and they

 
 both baldly l

ied
            
And the papers

              
, they all wen

   
t along for th

e ride
         
  How can the 

          
life of such a

.     
 man
         
  Be in the pa

        
lm of some foo

l’s hand?
            
  To see him o

         
bviously frame

d
            
  Couldn’t hel

              
p but make me 

             
feel ashamed t

          
o live in a la

nd
             
Where justice 

          
is a game


[Instrumental]

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[Verse 11]

            
Now all the cr

              
iminals in the

   
ir coats and t

heir ties
            
Are free to dr

              
ink martinis a

   
nd watch the s

un rise
            
While Rubin si

              
ts like Buddha

      
 in a ten-foot

 cell
            
An innocent ma

       
n in a living 

hell
         
  Yes, that’s 

              
the story of t

         
he Hurricane
         
  But it won’t

              
 be over till 

       
they clear his

 name
            
And give him b

              
ack the time h

    
e’s done
            
  Put in a pri

              
son cell, but 

           
one time he co

      
uld-a been
             
The champion o

            
f the world


[Outro]

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      (fade)