Fairport Convention – Percy's Song lyrics

Bad news, bad news, come to me where I sleep"
Turn, turn, turn again
"Say, one of your friends is in trouble deep"
Turn, turn, to the rain and the wind
"Tell me the trouble, tell me once to my ear"
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"Joliet prison and ninety-nine years"
Turn, turn, to the rain and the wind
"Oh, what's the charge of how this came to be?"
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"Manslaughter in the highest degree"
Turn, turn, to the rain and the wind
I sat down and wrote the best words I could write
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Explaining 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
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And was in his chambers by the next afternoon
Turn, turn, to the rain and the wind
"Would you tell me the facts," I said without fear
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"That a friend of mine could get ninety-nine years"
Turn, turn, to the rain and the wind
"A crash on the highway, flew the car to a field"
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"There was four persons killed and he was at the wheel"
Turn, turn, to the rain and the wind
"But I knew him as good as I'm knowing myself"
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"And he wouldn't harm a life that belonged to someone else"
Turn, turn, to the rain and the wind
The judge he spoke out of the side of his mouth
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Saying "The witness who saw, he left without doubt"
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"That may be true, he's got a sentence to serve"
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"But ninety-nine years he just don't deserve"
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"Too late, too late, for his case it is sealed"
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"His sentence it is passed and cannot be repealed"
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"But he ain't no criminal and his crime it is none"
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"What happened to him could happen to anyone"
Turn, turn, to the rain and the wind
At that the judge jumped forward and his face it did freeze
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Saying "Could you kindly leave my office now please?"
Turn, turn, to the rain and the wind
His eyes looked funny and I stood up so slow
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With no other choice except for to go
Turn, turn, to the rain and the wind
I walked down the hallway and I heard his door slam
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I walked down the courthouse stairs and did not understand
Turn, turn, to the rain and the wind
And I played my guitar through the night to the day
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And the only tune my guitar could play was "The Old Cruel Rain And The Wind