[Intro]
                   

[Verse 1]
            
Pistol shots r

              
ing out in the

 
 bar room nigh

t
            
Enter Patty Va

              
lentine from t

   
he upper hall
            
She sees the b

              
artender in a 


pool of blood
            
She cries out 

             
"My God they k

illed them all

"
             
Here comes the

              
 story of the 


Hurricane 
             
The man the au

          
thorities came

 to blame
            
For something 

              
that he never 


done
            
Put in a priso

             
n cell but one

 
 time
              
He could have 

           
been the champ

             
ion of the wor

    
ld

                   

[Verse 2]
            
Three bodies l

           
ying there doe

s Patty see
            
And another ma

              
n named Bello 

              
movin' around 

 
mysteriously
            
"I didn't do i

              
t" he says and

    
 he throws up 

his hands
            
"I was only ro

              
bbing the regi

        
ster, I hope y

ou understand 
             
I saw them lea

         
ving" he says 

and he stops
             
One of us had 

       
better call up

 the cops
            
And so Patty c

         
alls the cops 
            
And they arriv

            
e on the scene

 
 with their re

d lights 
            
Flashing on th

             
e hot New Jers

          
ey night

                   

[Verse 3]
            
Meanwhile some

         
where in anoth

er part of tow

n
            
Rubin Carter a

              
nd a couple of

             
 friends are d

riving around
            
The number one

              
 contender for

     
 the middlewei

ght crown 
            
Had no idea wh

         
at kinda shit 

was about to g

o down
             
When a cop pul

              
led them over 

       
to the side of

 the road 
             
Just like the 

              
time before an

      
d the time bef

ore 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 wanna

               
 draw the heat

                   

[Verse 4]
            
Alfred Bello h

              
ad a partner a

            
nd he had a ra

p for the cops
            
Him and Arthur

              
 Dextor Bradle

            
y were just do

wn prowling ar

ound
            
He said "I saw

              
 two men runni

              
n' out, they l

           
ooked like mid

dleweights
            
They jumped in

              
 to a white ca

       
r with out of 

state plates"
             
And Miss Patty

              
 Valentine jus

  
t nodded her h

ead
             
The cops said 

              
"Wait a minute

       
 boys, this on

e's not dead"
            
So they took h

              
im to the infi

   
rmary 
            
And although t

              
he man could h

      
ardly see
            
He told them t

            
hat he could i

             
dentify the gu

                  
ilty man

                   

[Verse 5]
            
Four in the mo

              
rning and they

 
 hauled Rubin 

in
            
They took him 

              
to the hospita

      
l and brought 

him upstairs
            
The wounded ma

              
n looked up th

          
rough his one 

dying eye
            
Says "Why you 

              
bring him in f

       
or? He ain't t

he guy
             
Yes, here is t

              
he story of th

  
e Hurricane 
             
The man the au

          
thorities came

 to blame
            
For something 

              
that he never 


done 
            
Put in a priso

             
n cell but one

                
 time 
              
He could have 

           
been the champ

             
ion of the wor

    
ld

                   

[Verse 6]
            
Four months la

        
ter the ghetto

 all in flame
            
Rubin's in Sou

            
th America fig

hting for his 

name
            
While Author D

              
exter Bradley 

             
still in the r

obbery game
            
And the cops a

              
re putting the

              
 screws to him

             
 looking for s

omeone to blam

e
             
"Remember that

             
 murder that h

appened in the

 bar?"
             
"Remember you 

              
said you saw t

    
he getaway car

?"
            
"You think you

              
'd like to pla

              
y ball with th

  
e law?"
            
"Think it migh

              
t have been th

              
at fighter tha

            
t you saw runn

         
in' that night

"
             
"Don't forget 

             
that you are w

       
hite"

                   

[Verse 7]
            
Arthur Dextor 

              
Bradley said "


I'm really not

 sure"
            
Cops said "A p

              
oor boy like y

   
ou could use a

 break
            
We got you for

              
 the motel job

           
 and we're tal

king to your f

riend Bello
            
Now you don't 

              
want to go bac

           
k to jail, be 

a nice fellow
             
You'll be doin

  
g society a fa

vor
             
That son of bi

       
tch is brave a

nd getting bra

ver
            
We want to put

              
 his ass in a 


stir
            
We want to pin

             
 this triple m

       
urder on him
             
He ain't no ge

             
ntleman Jim"

                   

[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 d

o it for pay"
            
And when it's 

              
over I'd just 

   
as soon go on 

my way
          
Up to some par

adise
             
Where the trou

              
t streams flow

         
 and the air i

s nice
            
And ride a hor

             
se along the t

rail
            
But then they 

              
took him to th

      
e jailhouse 
            
Where they try

             
 to turn a man

              
 into a mouse

                   

[Verse 9]
            
All Rubin's ca

         
rds were marke

d in advance
            
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 bla

              
ck folks he wa

         
s just a crazy

 nigger
             
No one doubted

         
 that he pulle

d the trigger
            
And though the

              
y could not pr

          
oduce the gun
            
The D.A. said 

             
he was the one

           
 who did the d


eed
             
And the all wh

             
ite jury agree

    
d

                   

[Verse 10]
            
Rubin Carter w

   
as falsely tri

ed 
            
The crime was 

              
murder one and

 
 guess who tes

tified
            
Bello and Brad

        
ley and they b

oth badly lied
            
And the newspa

              
pers all went 

 
along for the 

ride
             
How can the li

      
fe of such a m

an 
             
Be in the palm

     
 of some fool'

s hand
            
To see him obv

       
iously framed
            
Couldn't help 

              
but make me fe

           
el ashamed to 

          
live in a land
             
Where justice 

           
is a game

                   

[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

              
t like Buddha 

     
in a ten foot 

cell
            
An innocent ma

       
n in a living 

hell
             
That's the sto

          
ry of the Hurr

icane 
             
But it won't b

              
e over 'til th

   
ey clear his n

ame
            
And give him b

              
ack the time h

    
e's done
            
Put in a priso

             
n cell but one

  
 time 
              
He could have 

           
been the champ

             
ion of the wor

   
ld

[Ending]
                   
                    .....