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His sentence is passed and it cannot be repealed.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