Steel Mill Retro's cover version
[Instrumental]
All rise
Well the judge and the jury came into the court room
About 9:30, the 23rd of Jun
Now we're all here to try your crime
To see if we'll set you free or make you serve your time
The jury all set up in the chair
He's guilty, he's guilty, send that boy to jail
Now George was speeding, running down his mother
Stabbing his wife then strangling her lover
The court is ready to hear your plea
Now are you guilty or not guilty
The jury all set up to hear his plea
He's guilty, he's guilty, don't let that boy go free
Yeah
[Instrumental]
All rise
Now the judge and the jury came into the court room
About 9:30, the 24th of June
The court is ready to try your crime
To see if we're gonna kill you or make you serve you time
The jury all set up in the chair
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
The above lyrics are for Steel Mill Retro's cover version of HE'S GUILTY (THE JUDGE SONG). It was released on The Dead Sea Chronicles, their 2005 album of Bruce Springsteen songs that were first performed by the original Steel Mill.
The song is titled "The Judge" on The Dead Sea Chronicles. On his use of alternative song titles, Vini Lopez commented, "People can call the songs what they want. The song titles I use are what we used in the old days."
Vini "Mad Dog" Lopez began drumming with Bruce Springsteen in February 1969 when they formed the band Child, then they continued together with Steel Mill, Dr. Zoom & The Sonic Boom, and The Bruce Springsteen Band, before what would become known as The E Street Band came together in 1972. He played drums on Springsteen's first two albums, Greetings from Asbury Park, N.J. and The Wild, The Innocent, & The E Street Shuffle. He then left the band in February 1974 after being asked to resign because of his opposition to Mike Appel, Springsteen's ex-manager. After leaving the E Street Band, Lopez went onto playing drums with numerous Jersey Shore bands.
In 2001, Lopez had the idea of forming a new band who performs and records Steel Mill music as its main line business, music that was not performed for over 30 years, and that has never been officially released.
During The Rising Tour, Lopez met backstage with Bruce Springsteen at the 21 Jul 2003 show at Giants Stadium in East Rutherford, NJ, and approval was given to perform and record Steel Mill songs. Vini then joined Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band onstage that night, replacing Max Weinberg on drums during SPIRIT IN THE NIGHT.
In 2004, Lopez formed his new band, Steel Mill Retro, that mostly performs Steel Mill songs in the New Jersey Shore area. They released The Dead Sea Chronicles in 2005 and All Man The Guns For America in 2008. The two albums consist of Springsteen compositions from the Child and Steel Mill eras.
In 2005, Steel Mill Retro released The Dead Sea Chronicles, a 9-track album, 8 of which are Bruce Springsteen compositions from the Child and Steel Mill eras. The fourth track, ASBURY PARK, is the only non-Springsteen composition. The album was released on their own record label, Steel Mill Retro LLC. A remastered reissue of The Dead Sea Chronicles was released on Mega International Records in 2007 and reissued in 2009 on the same label but with different artwork.
List of available versions of HE'S GUILTY (THE JUDGE SONG) on this website:
HE'S GUILTY (THE JUDGE SONG) [Official studio version]
