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.


     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."