The words
Original lyric sheet. Performance directions in italics.
Intro
(organ bubbles in, one soft rimshot) Mm-hm... listen now...
Verse 1
Said I knew a man they held through the night No name on a paper, no judge, no light Twelve long months in a room with no door Asking the walls what a cage is for Then a lawyer with a Latin phrase in her hand Said "Sir, there's a writ in this land"
Pre-Chorus
(slow, building) Habeas corpus, habeas corpus Say it like a prayer, say it like a vow Habeas corpus, habeas corpus You hold a man, you show him, show him now
Chorus
No body, no crime, no crime Bring him to the court, let him see the light No body, no crime, no crime Nobody gets lost in the dark of night (oh, oh, no body, no crime)
Verse 2
Said the lawyer for the state, "I know what he did" But the proof is a hole where the answers are hid No witness at the table, no paper, no trace Just a story and a hunch and a headline's face Twelve good people in a box, hands on the book Said "Show us what you've got, then, take a look"
Pre-Chorus
Habeas corpus, habeas corpus Older than the crown and older than the flag Habeas corpus, habeas corpus The oldest word against the locked iron latch
Chorus
No body, no crime, no crime Bring him to the court, let him see the light No body, no crime, no crime Nobody gets lost in the dark of night (oh, oh, no body, no crime)
Bridge
(drums drop out, just bass and organ) "You shall have the body," that's what the old words say Not a favor from the ruler, not a gift you have to pay Seven hundred years of ink and stubborn souls Wrote a door into the wall, and the door still holds (whispered) ...it still holds
Verse 3
So when they tell you it's for safety, when they say "just trust us, friend" Ask them for the person, ask them where the story ends A cell is not an answer, and a silence is not proof The law stands up for the one with no roof
Final Chorus
No body, no crime, no crime Bring him to the court, let him see the light No body, no crime, no crime Nobody gets lost in the dark of night (sing it again now) No body, no crime, no crime Bring him to the court... let him see the light
Outro
(organ fades, guitar chop rides out) Habeas corpus... habeas corpus... Show him now.