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And it cannot be repealed,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)