Live 24 Apr 1970 version
[Spoken intro:] This next song is dedicated to a select group of the West End fire department.
Yeah
All rise
Well the judge and the jury came into the court room
At about 10:30 the 23rd of June
We're here to try this boy for his crimes
To see if we set him free or make him serve his time
Jury all stood up in their chairs
He's guilty, he's guilty, send that boy to jail
He was charged with speeding and running down his brother
Stabbing his wife, strangling her lover
The court is ready to hear your plea
Are you guilty or not guilty
Jury all stood up to hear his plea
He's guilty, he's guilty, don't let that boy go free
[Instrumental]
Hey
Oh your honor, your honor
Won't you treat me fair
And now all I want is justice
But your court is like a county fair
Say your honor, your honor
Ah won't you treat me fair
And now all I want is justice
But your court is like a county fair
And can I get what I want there
Can I get what I need there
Can I get what I want there
Can I get what I need, yeah yeah
Can I get what I want
Can I get what I need
Yeah
[Instrumental]
All rise
Well the judge and the jury came into the court room
At about 10:30 the 23rd of June
Now we're here to try this boy for his crimes
To see if we set him free or make him serve his time
Jury all stood up in their chairs
He's guilty, he's guilty, send that boy to jail
He's guilty, he's guilty, send that boy to jail
He's guilty, he's guilty, send that boy to jail
[Spoken outro:] Whoa! Thank you. Thank you very much.
The above lyrics are for the live 24 Apr 1970 performance of HE'S GUILTY (THE JUDGE SONG) at Monmouth College in West Long Branch, NJ, with Steel Mill. The parts above in bold correspond to Vini Lopez joining in on vocals. The parts in bold italic are by Vini Lopez alone.
This was a single show, with Steel Mill the sole act on the bill. According to Brucebase, this was a replacement concert for a cancellation of the musical "Hair".
A soundboard recording of very good to excellent quality is in circulation. The tape is very deceptive in that drummer Vini Lopez's voice microphone is abnormally dominant in the mix, so much so that it sounds like a co-lead singer (i.e., Robbin Thompson) is interacting with Springsteen throughout the show. However under an extremely close comparison it can be determined that the "co-lead" vocalist is actually drummer and background vocalist Lopez, with his microphone turned way up in the audio mix. Robbin Thompson's voice is definitely not present.
Thanks Audio2575 (from Rare Springsteen) for the lyrics corrections. Some of the above info about the live performance is taken from Brucebase.
Any additions, comments, or corrections to this page are welcome. You can contact me via the below form or by email: .
List of available versions of HE'S GUILTY (THE JUDGE SONG) on this website:
HE'S GUILTY (THE JUDGE SONG) [Official studio version]
