Tuesday, February 09, 2010

Stephen's Song

Stephen's Song

Sad news, sad news,
Come to me where I sleep,
Turn, turn, turn again.
Sayin' one of your friends
Is in trouble deep,
Turn, turn to the wind
And the rain.

Tell me the trouble,
Tell once with your mouth,
Turn, turn, turn again.
A Scottish prison
And twenty-one months,
Turn, turn to the wind
And the rain.

Oh what's the charge
Of how this came to be,
Turn, turn, turn again.
Public nudity
In the highest of degree,
Turn, turn to the wind
And the rain.

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 wind
And the rain.

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 wind
And the rain.

Could ya tell me the facts?
I said without fear,
Turn, turn, turn again.
That a friend of mine
Would get nearly two years,
Turn, turn to the wind
And the rain.

He walked on the highway
Naked as the day he was born,
Turn, turn, turn again.
Some people were offended,
You can't say he wasn't warned,
Turn, turn to the wind
And the rain.

But I knew him as good
As I'm knowin' myself,
Turn, turn, turn again.
And he wouldn't harm a life
That belonged to someone else,
Turn, turn to the wind
And the rain.

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 wind
And the rain.

That may be true,
He was walking in the nude,
Turn, turn, turn again.
But there's no evidence
He was doing anything lewd,
Turn, turn to the wind
And the rain.

Too late, too late,
For his case it is sealed,
Turn, turn, turn again.
His sentence is passed
And it cannot be repealed,
Turn, turn to the wind
And the rain.

But he ain't no criminal
And his crime it is none,
Turn, turn, turn again.
If they can do this to him
They can do it to anyone,
Turn, turn to the wind
And the rain.

And at that the judge jerked forward
And his face it did freeze,
Turn, turn, turn again.
Sayin', "Could you kindly leave
My office now, please,"
Turn, turn to the wind
And the rain.

Well his eyes looked funny
And I stood up so slow,
Turn, turn, turn again.
With no other choice
Except for me to go,
Turn, turn to the wind
And the rain.

I walked down the hallway
And I heard his door slam,
Turn, turn, turn again.
I walked down the courthouse stairs
And I did not understand,
Turn, turn to the wind
And the rain.

And where were all the people
Who said they would be here?
Turn, turn, turn again.
A crowd at this courthouse
Might have made his message clear,
Turn, turn to the wind
And the rain.

And I played my guitar
Through the night to the day,
Turn, turn, turn again.
And the only tune
My guitar could play
Was, "Oh how Cruel the Wind
and the Rain."

(For Stephen Gough, sung to the tune of Percy's Song by Bob Dylan, based on the version recorded by Arlo Guthrie)

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