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Pistol shots ring out in the barroom night
Enter Patty Valentine from the upper hall
She sees the bartender in a pool of blood
Cries out, "My God, they've killed them all!"
Here comes the story of a hurricane
The man the authorities came to blame
For something that he never done
Put in a prison cell, but one time he could've been
The champion of the world
Three bodies lying there, does Patty see
And another man named Bello, movin' around mysteriously
"I didn't do it," he says, and he throws up his hands
"I was only robbin' the register; I hope you understand"
"I saw them leavin'," he says, and he stops
"One of us had better call up the cops"
And so Patty calls the cops
And they arrive on the scene (ah)
With their red lights flashin' in the hot New Jersey night (ah)
All along the watchtower
Princes kept the view
All the women came and went
Barefoot servants too
Outside in the distance
A wildcat did growl
Two riders approaching
The wind began to howl
The cop pulled him over to the side of the road
Just like the time before and the time before that
In Paterson that's just the way things go
If you're Black
You might as well not show up on the street
'Less you want to draw the heat
It was gravity which pulled us down
And destiny which broke us apart
You tamed the lion in my cage
But it just wasn't enough to change my heart
Now everything's a little upside down
As a matter of fact, the wheels have stopped
What's good is bad, what's bad is good
You'll find out when you reach the top
You're on the bottom
Idiot wind
Blowin' every time you move your mouth
Blowin' down the back roads, headin' south
Idiot wind
Blowin' every time you move your teeth
You're an idiot, babe
It's a wonder that you still know how to breathe
Idiot wind
Blowin' through the flowers on your tomb
Blowin' through the curtains in your room
Idiot wind
Blowin' every time you move your teeth
I'm an idiot, babe
It's a wonder that I still know how to breathe
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