This song I wrote is about a friend of mine..it’s called Percy’s Song and I took the tune from a song that a folk-singer by the name of Paul Clayton sings called ‘The Wind and the Rain‘
– Bob Dylan at Carnegie Hall, October 26, 1963
I first heard Joan Baez perform Bob Dylan’s song Percy’s Song in the 1967 documentary of Bob Dylan’s 1965 tour of England – Don’t Look Back. It’s what made the song known to the general public.
Just like her sister song on tour – Love is Just a Four-Letter Word, I always preferred Joan’s raw delivery of Percy’s Song on the tour over other versions including Bob’s released (live / outtake) versions. I can’t believe she recorded Love is Just a Four-Letter Word but didn’t record Percy’s Song on one of her albums. It’s so beautiful. It is one of her best renditions from Bob’s song catalogue at least from what I’ve heard. She is casually performing it while Bob types. It really should have been put on an album.
Percy’s Song is a song written by Bob Dylan and recorded during the October 1963 sessions for Dylan’s third album, The Times They Are A-Changin‘, but ultimately not included on that album. Dylan performed the song on stage at his Carnegie Hall concert on October 26, 1963 which you can find at the end of this post. Paul Clayton had played “The Wind and the Rain” to Bob, a variant of “The Twa Sisters“, Child ballad 10.
[Verse 1]
Bad news, bad news
Come to me where I sleep
Turn, turn, turn again
Sayin’ one of your friends
Is in trouble deep
Turn, turn to the rain
And the wind
Tell me the trouble
Tell once to my ear
Turn, turn, turn again
Joliet prison
And ninety-nine years
Turn, turn to the rain
And the wind
[Verse 2]
Oh what’s the charge
Of how this came to be
Turn, turn, turn again
Manslaughter
In the highest of degrees
Turn, turn to the rain
And the wind
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 rain
And the wind
- Read the remainder of the lyrics to Percy’s Song here.
Dylan wrote the song from the point of view of a narrating character. The song relates the story of a fatal car crash and a subsequent manslaughter conviction and 99-year sentence in Joliet Prison that is handed down to the driver (a friend of the first-person narrator). The narrator goes to ask the sentencing judge to commute his friend’s sentence which he considers too harsh, but the sentence stands. The story of the hard-hearted judge is reminiscent of the Child ballad Geordie.
For back story about Joan Baez’s relationship with Bob Dylan, I point you to my article about Diamonds and Rust. That song is regarded by a number of critics and fans as one of her best compositions and it is my favourite song by her. Baez was a sensation at the inaugural 1959 Newport Folk Festival; she blew up well before Dylan. Their romance was legendary. Less famously, Baez dated Steve Jobs.
References:
1. Percy’s Song – Wikipedia
“The more I live, the more I learn. The more I learn, the more I realize, the less I know.”- Michel Legrand
Observation Blogger 
So cool. I love this song. The video…Baez is awesome! Dylan is timeless…..
Same here. What a shame she didn’t record it.
She should have for sure!
Yeh, what a bummer. But having said that, I didn’t like what she did in the studio with ‘Love is Just a Four Letter Word’. Her crude version in the documentary is much better IMHO.
She is kinda different. Some stuff I like but a lot I don’t care for..
I think her cover of ‘Forever Young’ below is my favourite of any version including Bob’s:
She does a good job. My first Dylan album Planet Waves…last song first side, first song second side, both are great. So I gotta say Bob’s is better lol thanks Matt……
I can see your reasoning lol
Planet Waves was released 50 years ago….Damm I’m getting old lol…
50 years! That puts a lot in perspective since I just turned 50 haha
Happy 50th Matt!!
Thanks mate. It was a great time sharing it with my kids. I’m very lucky.
Glad you had your kids for the celebration Matt…
Thanks man! They are going back to their Mum today to start their school year. I’ll miss them. I hope all is well with you and your family.
Great. Everything kinda good here. Same things, but slowly getting back to normal.
I’m delighted to hear that Tom!
Hope everything is well with you Matt.
Coincidentally, just last night, I watched a great 2023 documentary about Joan Baez, “Joan Baez: I Am a Noise”. Well, not entirely coincidental: Fellow blogger Jim, aka Music Enthusiast had written about it.
The film was shot just after Baez had turned 79 and documents her farewell tour with plenty of historical footage, including her mad love of Bob Dylan. If you dig Baez, I can highly recommend it!
https://www.magpictures.com/joanbaez/watch-at-home/
Oooh, I’m licking my chops already to see this one. Thanks for the ‘heads-up’ and link Christian.
Thank you Matt! I always wanted to know the name of this song since I heard it in Don’t Look Back.
You’re welcome Max.
It’s funny….that song has stuck with me through the years. I didnt’ know it by name but when you mentioned Don’t Look Back…I thought YES…this has to be it….I remember the Turn Turn part.
It’s what Baez does with it (and the context) that makes it stand out for me. If I had heard the Dylan live or outtake version first, the impression would not have been nearly as profound.
I agree with you on this one.