Смысл текста песни "The Lonesome Death of Hattie Carroll" исполнителя "Bob Dylan"

William Zanzinger killed poor Hattie Carroll

With a cane that he twirled around his diamond ring finger

At a Baltimore hotel society gath'rin',

And the cops were called in and his weapon took from him

As they rode him in custody down to the station,

And booked William Zanzinger for first-degree murder,

But you, who philosophize disgrace and criticize all fears,

Take the rag away from your face

Now ain't the time for your tears.

William Zanzinger, who at twenty-four years

Owns a tobacco farm of six hundred acres,

With rich wealthy parents, who provide and protect him,

And high office relations in the politics of Maryland

Reacted to his deed with a shrug of his shoulders

And swear words and sneering, and his tongue it was snarling,

In a matter of minutes on bail was out walking,

But you, who philosophize disgrace and criticize all fears,

Take the rag away from your face

Now ain't the time for your tears.

Hattie Carroll was a maid in the kitchen,

She was fifty-one years old and gave birth to ten children,

Who carried the dishes and took out the garbage,

And never sat once at the head of the table,

And didn't even talk to the people at the table,

Who just cleaned up all the food from the table,

And emptied the ashtrays on a whole other level,

Got killed by a blow, lay slain by a cane

That sailed through the air and came down through the room,

Doomed and determined to destroy all the gentle,

And she never done nothing to William Zanzinger,

And you, who philosophize disgrace and criticize all fears,

Take the rag away from your face

Now ain't the time for your tears.

In the courtroom of honor the judge pounded his gavel

To show that all's equal and that the courts are on the level,

And that the strings in the books ain't pulled and persuaded,

And that even the nobles get properly handled

Once that the cops have chased after and caught 'em,

And that ladder of law has no top and no bottom,

Stared at the person who killed for no reason,

Who just happened to be feeling that way witout warning,

And he spoke through his cloak, most deep and distinguished,

And handed out strongly, for penalty and repentance,

William Zanzinger with a six-month sentence,

Oh, but you, who philosophize disgrace and criticize all fears,

Bury the rag deep in your face

For now's the time for your tears.

Песня основа на реальных событиях: 9 февраля 1963 года в отеле "Эмерсон" в Балтиморе на Балу Старых Дев, пьяный двадцатичетырёхлетний Уильям Деверо Занцингер ударил игрушечной тростью пятидесятиоднолетнюю барменшу Хэтти Кэрролл за то, что она, не принесла ему немедленно заказанный бурбон. Через некоторое время Кэрролл, президент местного общества чернокожих, почувствовала себя плохо и была доставлена в больницу, где и скончалась через несколько часов от кровоизлияния в мозг. 28 августа того же года за убийство и нападение Занцингер был приговорён к шести месяцам тюрьмы.