Percy's Song ¹

Bob Dylan © 1964; renewed 1992 Special Rider Music

(Official lyrics @ www.bobdylan.com)

▹The Times...session 4 - 23.oct.1963, take 1  

Bad news, bad news come to me where i sleep
Turn, turn, turn again
Sayin' one of your friends is in trouble deep
Turn, turn to the rain and the wind

Tell me the trouble, tell me once onto my ear
Turn, turn, turn again
Joliet prison an' ninety-nine years
Turn, turn to the rain and the wind

Oh what is the charge of how this came to be
Turn, turn, turn again
Manslaughter in the highest of degrees
Turn, turn to the rain and the wind

I sat down an' wrote the best words that i could write
Turn, turn, turn again
Explainin' to the judge i'd be there on wednesday night
Turn, turn to the rain and the wind

Without a reply i left by the moon
Turn, turn, turn again
An' was in his chambers by the next afternoon
Turn, turn to the rain and the wind

Could you tell me the facts? i said without fear
Turn, turn, turn again
That a friend of mine would get ninety-nine years
Turn, turn to the rain and the wind

A crash on the highway flew a car to a field
Turn, turn, turn again
There was four persons killed an' he was at the wheel
Turn, turn to the rain and the wind

But i know him as good as i'm knowin' myself
Turn, turn, turn again
An' he wouldn't harm the life that belonged to someone else
Turn, turn to the rain and the wind

The judge spoke out of the side of his mouth
Turn, turn, turn again
Sayin' the witness who saw, he left little doubt
Turn, turn to the rain and the wind

That may be true, he's got a sentence to serve
Turn, turn, turn again
But ninety-nine years, he just don't deserve
Turn, turn to the rain and the wind

Too late, too late for his case it is sealed
Turn, turn, turn again
His sentence is passed an' it cannot be repealed
Turn, turn to the rain and the wind

But he ain't no criminal an' his crime it is none
Turn, turn, turn again
What happened to him could happen to anyone
Turn, turn to the rain and the wind

At that the judge jerked forward an' his face it did freeze
Turn, turn, turn again
Sayin', could you kindly leave my office now, please
Turn, turn to the rain and the wind

The room was funny an' i stood up so slow
Turn, turn, turn again
With no other choice except but for to go
Turn, turn to the rain and the wind

I walked in the hallway an' i heard his door slam
Turn, turn, turn again
I walked down the courthouse stairs an' i did not understand
Turn, turn to the rain and the wind

I played my guitar through the night to the day
Turn, turn, turn again
And the only tune my guitar could play
Was "Oh the cruel rain and the wind." 
    

Percy's Song ²

▹The Times...session 5, Columbia Studio A, NYC - 24.oct.1963
    with verses 8 "But i know him" & 10 "a sentence to serve" exchanged
▹Concert at Carnegie Hall, NYC - 26.oct.1963
   ▵Here's a song i wrote, it's about a friend of mine, it's called "Percy's Song"
      And i took the tune from a song that a folksinger by the name of Paul Clayton sang,
      Called "The Wind And The Rain"

Bad news, bad news come to me where i sleep
Turn, turn, turn again
Sayin' one of your friends is in trouble deep
Turn, turn to the rain and the wind

Oh what is the trouble, tell me once onto my ear
Turn, turn, turn again
Joliet prison an' ninety-nine years
Turn, turn to the rain and the wind

Oh what is the charge of how this came to be
Turn, turn, turn again
Manslaughter in the highest of degrees
Turn, turn to the rain and the wind

I sat down an' wrote the best words that i could write
Turn, turn, turn again
[Explainin' to/Tellin'] the judge i'd be there on wednesday night
Turn, turn to the rain and the wind

Without a reply i left by the moon
Turn, turn, turn again
An' was in his chambers by the next afternoon
Turn, turn to the rain and the wind

Could you tell me the facts? i said without fear
Turn, turn, turn again
That a friend of mine would get ninety-nine years
Turn, turn to the rain and the wind

A crash on the highway flew a car to a field
Turn, turn, turn again
There was four [people killed/persons dead] an' he was at the wheel
Turn, turn to the rain and the wind

But i know him as good as i know myself
Turn, turn, turn again
An' he wouldn't harm a life that belonged to someone else
Turn, turn to the rain and the wind

[That might be so/That's true], said the judge from the side of his mouth
Turn, turn, turn again
But the witness who saw left little doubt
Turn, turn to the rain and the wind

Then it [might/may] be true [that] he has a sentence to serve
Turn, turn, turn again
But ninety-nine years, he just don't deserve
Turn, turn to the rain and the wind

Too late, too late for his case [it] is sealed
Turn, turn, turn again
The sentence is passed an' it cannot be repealed
Turn, turn to the rain and the wind

But he ain't no criminal and his crime [it] is none
Turn, turn, turn again
What happened to him [could've happened/could happen] to anyone
Turn, turn to the rain and the wind

At that the judge jerked forward an' his face it did freeze
Turn, turn, turn again
Sayin', could you kindly leave my office now, please
Turn, turn to the rain and the wind

I tilted my head an' i stood up so slow
Turn, turn, turn again
Without no [other] choice except but for to go
Turn, turn to the rain and the wind

I walked down the hallway an' i heard [the/his] door slam
Turn, turn, turn again
I walked down the courthouse stairs an' i did not understand
Turn, turn to the rain and the wind

I played my guitar through the night to the day
Turn, turn, turn again
And the only tune my guitar could play
Was "Oh the cruel rain and the wind."