AmPistol shots ring out in the bar Froom night
AmEnter Patty Valentine from the uFpper hall
AmShe sees the bartender in a pFool of blood
AmCries out "My God they killed thFem all!"
CHere comes the story of the HFurricane,
CThe man the authorities came Fto blame
DmFor something that he never dCone
DmPut in a prison cell but oCne time
EmHe could have been Amthe cFhampion of the worldC F G Am Am F
AmThree bodies lying there does PattFy see
AmAnd another man named Bello moving around Fmysteriously
Am"I didn't do it" he says, and he throws Fup his hands
Am"I was only robbin' the register, I hope Fyou understand
CI saw them leavin'," he says and Fhe stops
COne of us had better call the Fcops
DmAnd so Patty calls Cthe cops
DmAnd they arrive on the Cscene
Emwith their red lights Amflashin'
FIn the hot New Jersey CnightG F Am Am F
AmMeanwhile somewhere in another pFart of town
AmRubin Carter and a couple of friends are driving Faround
AmNumber one contender for the midFdleweight crown
AmHad no idea what kind of shit was about to Fgo down
CWhen a cop pulled him over tFo the side of the road
CJust like the time before and Fthe time before that
DmIn Patterson that just the waCys things go
DmIf you black you might as well not show up on thCe streets
EmLess you wAmanna dFraw the heaCtF G A AmmF
AmAlfred Bello had a partner and he had a rap for the Fcops
AmHim and Arthur Dexter Bradley were just out prowlin' Faround
AmHe said "I saw two men runnin out, they looked like middle Fweights
AmThey jumped into a white car with out of state pFlates"
CAnd Miss Patty Valentine just Fnodded her head
CCop said "Wait a minute boys, Fthis one's not dead"
DmSo they took him to the infirCmary
DmAnd although this man could hardCly see
EmThey told him that Amhe coFuld identify the gCuilGty AmmenF F Am
AmFour in the morning and they haul FRubin in
AmTake him to the hospital and brinFg him upstairs
AmThe wounded man looks up though his one Fdying eye
AmSays "why'd you bring him here for? He aiFn't the guy!"
CYes, here the story of the HuFrricane
CThe man the authorities came Fto blame
DmFor something that he never dCone
DmPut in a prison cell but one time he could've beCen
EmThe chamAmpion Fof the worlCdF G A AmmF
AmFour months later the ghetto's on Fflame
AmRubin's in South America fightin' for hiFs name
AmWhile Arthur Dexter Bradley's still in the robbeFry game
AmAnd the cops are puttin' the screw to him looking for somebFody to blame
C"Remember that murder that haFppened in a bar?"
C"Remember you said you saw thFe getaway car?"
Dm"You think you'd like to play ball witCh the law?"
Dm"Think it might have been that fighter that you saw running tChat night?"
Em"Don't forget Amthat Fyou are whiteC"F G A AmmF
AmArthur Dexter Bradley said "I'm really nFot sure"
AmCops said "A poor boy like you could really use a Fbreak
AmWe got you for the motel job and were talking to your frienFd Bello
AmNow you don't want to have to go back to jail, be a nice Ffellow
CYou'll be doin' society a faFvor
CThat son of a bitch is brave Fand getting braver
DmWe want to put his ass in the Cstir
DmWe want to pin this trip murder on Chim
EmHe ain't nAmo GenFtleman JiCm"G F Am Am F
AmRubin could take a man out with just one Fpunch
AmHe never did like to talk about it all that muchF
AmIt's my work he'd say, I do it fFor pay
AmAnd when it's over I'd just as soon go on my Fway
CWhere the trout streams flow and the Fair is nice
DmAnd ride a horse along a Ctrail
DmBut then they took him to the jail Chouse
EmWhere they try to Ammake a Fman into a mousCeF G A AmmF
AmAll of Rubin's card were marked iFn advance
AmThe trial was a pig circus, he never had a cFhance
AmThe judge made Rubin's witnesses drunkards from the sFlums
AmTo the white folks who watched he was a revolutionary Fbum
Cbut to the black folks he was Fa crazy nigger
CNo one doubted that he pulled Fthe trigger
DmAnd though they could not produce tChe gun
DmThe D.A. said he was the one who did tChe deed
EmAnd the alAml whiFte jury agrCeedG F Am Am F
AmRubin Carter was falsely Ftried
AmThe crime was murder "one", guess who tesFtified
AmBello and Bradley and the both baFdly lied
AmAnd the newspapers all went along for the Fride
CHow can the life of such a Fman
CBe in the palm of some fool's Fhand
DmTo see him obviously fraCmed
DmCouldn't help make him feel ashamed to lCive in a land
EmWhere jusAmtice Fis a gamCeF G A AmmF
AmNow all the criminal in their coats and thFeir ties
AmAre free to drink martinis and watch the sun Frise
AmWhile Rubin sits like Buddha in a ten foFot cell
AmAnd innocent man in a living Fhell
CThat's the story of the HurFricane
CBut it won't be over till they clear hFis name
DmAnd give him back the time heC's done
DmPut in a prison cell but one time he couldC've been
EmThe champAmion oFf the woCrldG F Am Am F