a.k.a. HE'S GUILTY (SEND THAT BOY TO JAIL)
a.k.a. THE JUDGE SONG
22 February 1970 version
All rise
Well Judge and Jury came into the court room
About 9:30 on the 23rd of June
Now we're here to try this boy for his crime
To see if we set him free or make him serve his time
Jury you're gonna send him to jail
He's guilty, he's guilty send that boy to jail
George been speedin', runnin' down his mother
Stabbin' his wife and stranglin' her lover
Well the court is ready to hear your plea
Guilty or not guilty
Jury ignore his plea
He's guilty, he's guilty, don't let that boy go free
Alright
Well Judge and Jury came into the court room
About 10:30 on the 23rd of June
Now we're here to try this boy for his crime
To see if we set him free or make him serve his time
Jury send him to jail
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
Steel Mill 1970. These lyrics refer to the studio version recorded on 22 February 1970 at the Fillmore
Recording Studio, San Francisco, CA. Check also 13 January 1970 version and the
04 May 1970 version.
A Steel Mill track employing the use of high pitched backup singers (in this case, Robbin Thompson), a
common feature of Bruces early work, especially a little later in The Bruce Springsteen Band days. A good
number with strong guitar work characteristic of the Steel Mill era, and a good contrast to the acoustic
demos to follow a couple of years later.
I first heard "Guilty" in late 1969or early 1970 in Richmond, VA. I was a student in Virginia
Commonwealth University. The new kid in town from Florida by way of Woodstock. I started a band in Richmond
called Mercy Flight and we were booked to open for this band from Jersey that everyone was talkin' about
called Steel Mill.
Mercy Flight did some original songs but most of it was like long versions of Creedence Clearwater
Revival stuff. Anyway... we opened and Steel Mill hit the stage with "Guilty," and it blew me away.
I said "this guy is gonna be somebody one day."
Over the course of about a year and many concerts together, Bruce asked me if I wanted to join a band
as a singer. I quit school and moved to Jersey to live in the Challenger Surfboard factory with Bruce and
Tinker West, who was the manager at the time. Steel Mill broke up a year later and I went back to Virginia
to do my own thing. I think it was 1982 or '83 when Bruce came to one of my concerts at the bayou in D.C. I
saw him come in so we broke into "Guilty." He sat in with us for the encores and after the show he
said, "man. I really liked that 'Judge Song'." I said, "well, it's your tune, can I record
it?" He said, "sure, go ahead." So in 1984 I did.
I think I remember Bruce tellin' me that it was written after he was arrested for sneakin' into the
beach on the Jersey Shore to avoid the dollar admission fee.
