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" Turn, turn, turn again "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?" Turn, turn, turn again "Manslaughter in the highest degree" Turn, turn, to the rain and the wind I sat down and wrote the best words I could write Turn, turn, turn again 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 Turn, turn, turn again 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 Turn, turn, turn again "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" Turn, turn, turn again "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" Turn, turn, turn again "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 Turn, turn, turn again Saying "The witness who saw, he left without 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wind "Too late, too late, for his case it is sealed" Turn, turn, turn again "His sentence it is passed and cannot be repealed" Turn, turn, to the rain and the wind "But he ain't no criminal and his crime it is none" Turn, turn, turn again "What happened to him could happen to anyone" Turn, turn, to the rain and the wind At that the judge jumped forward and his face it did freeze Turn, turn, turn again 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 Turn, turn, turn again 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 Turn, turn, turn again 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 Turn, turn, turn again And the only tune my guitar could play was "The Old Cruel Rain And The Wind"
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