這是一個真實發生的故事，1966年，黑人拳擊手魯本卡特(稱號颶風)被控犯下一間酒吧的命案，沒有任何直接的證據，只因為他是黑人，所以他得入獄，法院判他終身監禁，他在獄中不斷地打官司，卻一直被白人掌權的法院駁回，他在獄中一字一字的將自己的遭遇寫成了書出版，替自己申冤，當時許多知名人物都出面聲援他，包括迪倫，而這首歌就是為了魯本寫的！二十年後，該案移至聯邦法院審理，聯邦法官鑒於罪證不足，當庭宣判魯本無罪釋放！後來這個故事更改編成了電影，有興趣的人，可以去看1999年由丹佐華盛頓主演的捍衛正義！
Pistol shots ring out in the barroom night
手槍的槍聲響起在酒吧的夜晚
Enter Patty Valentine from the upper hall
貝蒂 瓦倫丁從樓上的大廳進來
She sees the bartender in a pool of blood
她看見酒保躺在血泊中
Cries out, “My God, they killed them all!”
大喊著“我的天啊，他們殺了他們全部”
Here comes the story of the Hurricane
這是一個關於“颶風”的故事
The man the authorities came to blame
這個男人，被官方出面指控
For somethin’ that he never done
為了一些他從未做過的事
Put in a prison cell, but one time he could-a been
關進了牢房，但那時候，他可能就要成為
The champion of the world
世界冠軍
Three bodies lyin’ there does Patty see
三具屍體躺在那裡，就像貝蒂看見的
And another man named Bello, movin’ around mysteriously
另一個男人名叫貝洛，神秘兮兮地在附近走動
“I didn’t do it,” he says, and he throws up his hands
“我沒有幹這事“他說，他舉起雙手
“I was only robbin’ the register, I hope you understand
”我只有搶劫收銀機“我希望你能了解
I saw them leavin’,” he says, and he stops
我看見他們離開”他說，然後他停住
“One of us had better call up the cops”
“我們其中的一個人最好叫警察來”
And so Patty calls the cops
所以貝蒂叫了警察
And they arrive on the scene with their red lights flashin’
他們抵達現場，紅色的警車燈閃爍著
In the hot New Jersey night
在炎熱的紐澤西夜晚
Meanwhile, far away in another part of town
同時間，遙遠的小鎮另一處
Rubin Carter and a couple of friends are drivin’ around
魯本卡特和幾個朋友開車在附近兜風
Number one contender for the middleweight crown
中量級拳王的第一號競爭者
Had no idea what kinda shit was about to go down
完全沒意料到，多麼狗屎的事就要發生
When a cop pulled him over to the side of the road
當警察攔下他，要他在停在路邊
Just like the time before and the time before that
就像上次一樣，上次的事
In Paterson that’s just the way things go
在帕特森這個城市，規則就是這樣
If you’re black you might as well not show up on the street
如果你是黑人，你最好不要出現在街上
’Less you wanna draw the heat
除非你想製造熱度
Alfred Bello had a partner and he had a rap for the cops
阿爾佛列德 貝洛有一個同伴，他有犯罪前科
Him and Arthur Dexter Bradley were just out prowlin’ around
他和亞瑟 德克斯特 布拉德利剛好在附近徘徊
He said, “I saw two men runnin’ out, they looked like middleweights
他說，“我看見兩個人跑出來，他們看起來像中量級拳手
They jumped into a white car with out-of-state plates”
他們跳進一輛白色車，掛著外州的車牌“
And Miss Patty Valentine just nodded her head
貝蒂 瓦倫丁小姐點著頭
Cop said, “Wait a minute, boys, this one’s not dead”
警察說”等一下，各位，這一個人還沒死“
So they took him to the infirmary
所以他們送他到治療室
And though this man could hardly see
儘管這個男人幾乎看不見
They told him that he could identify the guilty men
他們告訴他，他能夠指認兇手
Four in the mornin’ and they haul Rubin in
清晨四點，他們逮捕了魯本
Take him to the hospital and they bring him upstairs
把他押到了醫院，他們帶他上樓
The wounded man looks up through his one dyin’ eye
那受傷的男人透過他垂死的眼睛看著
Says, “Wha’d you bring him in here for? He ain’t the guy!”
說“你們為什麼帶他來這裡？他不是那個傢伙！“
Yes, here’s the story of the Hurricane
是的，這是一個颶風的故事
The man the authorities came to blame
這個男人，官方出面指控他
For somethin’ that he never done
為了一些他從未做過的事
Put in a prison cell, but one time he could-a been
關進了牢房，但那時候，他可能就要成為
The champion of the world
世界冠軍
Four months later, the ghettos are in flame
四個月之後，貧民窟在火海中
Rubin’s in South America, fightin’ for his name
魯本在美國南方，為了他們名字而抗爭
While Arthur Dexter Bradley’s still in the robbery game
當亞瑟 德克斯特 布拉德利仍在搶劫的遊戲裡
And the cops are puttin’ the screws to him, lookin’ for somebody to blame
警察對他施加壓力，尋找某人來頂罪
“Remember that murder that happened in a bar?”
”記得那發生在酒吧的謀殺案嗎？“
“Remember you said you saw the getaway car?”
”記得你說你看見逃走的汽車？“
“You think you’d like to play ball with the law?”
”你認為你想要和法律合作嗎？“
“Think it might-a been that fighter that you saw runnin’ that night?”
”想一下這事可能是怎樣，那個拳擊手，那個你看見在那個晚上跑走的人？“
“Don’t forget that you are white”
”別忘記你是白人“
Arthur Dexter Bradley said, “I’m really not sure”
亞瑟 德克斯特 布拉德利說，“我真的不太確定”
Cops said, “A poor boy like you could use a break
警察說，“一個像你一樣貧困的男孩會利用好運
We got you for the motel job and we’re talkin’ to your friend Bello
我們因為旅館的搶案抓了你，現在我們正和你的朋友貝洛談話
Now you don’t wanta have to go back to jail, be a nice fellow
你不希望你得要回到監獄吧，做一個好人
You’ll be doin’ society a favor
你將是幫了社會一個忙
That sonofabitch is brave and gettin’ braver
那個狗娘養的越來越囂張了
We want to put his ass in stir
我們想要把他的屁股放在監獄
We want to pin this triple murder on him
我們想要把這個三人的謀殺案釘在他身上
He ain’t no Gentleman Jim”
他不是瀟灑吉姆(某個白人拳王)“
Rubin could take a man out with just one punch
魯本只需要一擊就可以讓一個人出局
But he never did like to talk about it all that much
但他真的從來都沒有那麼喜歡，去談論這件事
It’s my work, he’d say, and I do it for pay
這是我的工作，他說，我為了酬勞而工作
And when it’s over I’d just as soon go on my way
當工作結束，我只想儘快上路
Up to some paradise
直到某處樂園
Where the trout streams flow and the air is nice
那裡游著鱒魚的河流在流動，空氣清新
And ride a horse along a trail
尋著小徑騎著馬匹
But then they took him to the jailhouse
然而他們帶他進了監獄
Where they try to turn a man into a mouse
在那裡，他們試著將一個男人變成老鼠
All of Rubin’s cards were marked in advance
所有魯本的好牌都事先被作記號
The trial was a pig-circus, he never had a chance
審問就像是豬聚集成的馬戲團，他從來沒有機會
The judge made Rubin’s witnesses drunkards from the slums
法官讓魯本的證人成了貧民窟的醉漢
To the white folks who watched he was a revolutionary bum
對注意著這件事的白人來說，他是一個革命的流浪漢
And to the black folks he was just a crazy nigger
對黑人來說，他只是一個瘋狂的黑鬼
No one doubted that he pulled the trigger
沒有人質疑他扣下板機
And though they could not produce the gun
儘管他們不能製造槍砲
The D.A. said he was the one who did the deed
檢察官說他就是那個犯下這件罪行的人
And the all-white jury agreed
全白的陪審團都同意
Rubin Carter was falsely tried
魯本卡特錯誤地被受審
The crime was murder “one,” guess who testified?
罪行是“一級”謀殺，猜猜是誰作證的？
Bello and Bradley and they both baldly lied
貝洛和布拉德利，他們都直接地撒謊
And the newspapers, they all went along for the ride
新聞報紙，他們也都只是隨便報導
How can the life of such a man
這樣一個人的生命怎麼能
Be in the palm of some fool’s hand?
被操控在一些傻子的手中？
To see him obviously framed
看見他很明顯的遭陷害
Couldn’t help but make me feel ashamed to live in a land
不得不讓我覺得活在這個國家真是羞愧
Where justice is a game
在這裡司法只是一場遊戲
Now all the criminals in their coats and their ties
現在所有的罪犯都在他們的大衣和他們的領帶裡
Are free to drink martinis and watch the sun rise
自由的喝著馬丁尼和看著日出
While Rubin sits like Buddha in a ten-foot cell
當魯本坐在十呎的牢房裡像是佛祖
An innocent man in a living hell
一個清白的人待在人間地獄
That’s the story of the Hurricane
這是一個關於颶風的故事
But it won’t be over till they clear his name
但事情不會結束，直到他們弄清他的名字
And give him back the time he’s done
歸還他他已失去的時間
Put in a prison cell, but one time he could-a been
關進監獄，但這一次他可能會成為
The champion of the world
世界冠軍
