TURN TO THE RAIN AND THE WIND
Two of my favorite topical songs by Bob Dylan, “Who Killed Davey Moore” (a live performance) and “Percy’s Song” are included on John Birch Society Blues. “Percy’s Song” – identified on John Birch Society Blues as “Turn to the Rain and the Wind” – has the singer learning that a good friend had been involved in an auto accident and had been convicted of “manslaughter in the highest of degrees”, resulting in a 99-year sentence. Interspersed with a recurring refrain, “Turn, turn, turn again / Turn, turn to the rain and the wind”, the singer tries to get to the bottom of what happened and argues to no avail with the judge that the sentence is too harsh, closing with “But he ain’t no criminal / And his crime it is none / What happened to him / Could happen to anyone”. (September 2017) |