Pistols Pistol shots ring out in on the barroom night
Enter Patty Valentine from the upper outer hall
She sees the bartender in a pool of blood
Cries out out, "My God God, they killed them 'em all"enter added
Here comes the story of the Hurricane
The man the authorities came to blame
For something somethin' that he never done
Put him in a prison cell cell, but one time he could-a could've been
The champion of the world. world

Three bodies lying lyin' there does Patty see
And another man named Bello moving Bello, movin' around mysteriously
"I didn't do it" he says it," He says, and he throws up his hands
"I was only robbing robbin' the register register, I hope you understand understand"

I saw them leaving" he says leavin'" He says, and he stops
"One of us had better call up the cops"
And so Patty patty calls the cops
And they arrive on the scene with their red lights flashing flashin'
In the hot New Jersey night. night
MeanwhileMeanwhile, far away in another part of town
Rubin Carter and a couple of friends are driving drivin' around
Number one contender for the middleweight crown
Had no idea what kinda shit was about to go downenter added
When a cop pulled him over to the side of the road
Just like the time before and the time before that
In Patterson Paterson that's just the way things go
If you're black you might as well not shown show up on the street
'Less you wanna draw the heat. heat

Alfred Bello had a partner and he [Incomprehensible] had a rap for the corps cops
Him and Arthur Dexter Bradley bradley were just out prowling prowlin' around
He said "I saw two men running out runnin' out, they looked like middleweights
They jumped into a white car with out-of-state plates" plates

And Miss Patty Valentine just nodded her head
Cop said said, "Wait a minute boys 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. men

Four in the morning mornin' and they haul Rubin in
Take him to the hospital and they brought bought him upstairs
The wounded man looks up through his one dying dyin' eye
Says "Wha'dSays, "What'd you bring him in here for ? for? He ain't the guy !" guy"
Yes here comes
Yes, here's the story of the Hurricane
The man the authorities came to blame
For something somethin' that he never done
Put in a prison cell cell, but one time he could-a could've been
The champion of the world. world

Four months later later, the ghettos are in flame
Rubin's in South America fighting America, fightin' for his name
While Arthur Dexter Bradley's still in the robbery game
And the cops are putting puttin' the screws to him
lookingLookin' for somebody to blameenter added
"Remember that murder that happened in a bar ?" bar?
"RememberRemember you said you saw the getaway car?" car?
"You thinkThink you'd like to play ball with the law ?" law?
"ThinkThink it might-a been that fighter that you saw running runnin' that night ?" night?
"Don'tDon't forget that you are white". white"

Arthur Dexter Bradley said said, "I'm really not sure" sure
Cops said said, "A poor boy like you could use a break
We got you for the motel job and we're
talking talkin' to your friend Bello
Now you don't wanta have to go back to jail jail, be a nice fellowenter added
You'll be doing doin' society a favor
That sonofabitch son-of-a-bitch is brave and getting 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". 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 work, he'd say say, and I do it for the pay
And when it's over over, I'd just as soon go on my wayenter added
Up to some paradise
Where the trout streams flow and the air is nice
And ride a horse along a the trail
But then they took him to the jailhouse
Where they try to turn a man into a mouse. mouse

All of Rubin's cards were marked in advance
The trial was a pig-circus 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 bumenter added
And to the black folks he was just a crazy nigger
No one doubted that he pulled the trigger
And though they could not produce the gun
The DA D.A. said he was the one who did the deed
And the all-white jury agreed. agreed

Rubin Carter was falsely tried
The crime was murder 'one' one and guess who testified testified?
Arthur Dexter, Bradley andBello and Bradley and they both baldly lied
And the newspapers newspapers, they all went along for the rideenter added
How can the life of such a man
Be in the palm of some fool's hand ? hand?
To see him obviously framed
Couldn't help but make me feel ashamed to
To live in a land
Where where justice is a game. 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 hellenter added
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 him in a prison cell cell, but one time he could-a could've been
The champion of the world. world