Percy's Song

Fairport Convention

"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