“Hand of Fate” is the second track off of The Stones' 1976 album, Black and Blue – their 15th American studio album.
Mick Jagger says the song is “a narrative, you know, a sort of chopped up narrative about a Southern murder.”
The song was recorded shortly after Mick Taylor’s departure from the ba...
[Verse 1]
The hand of fate is on me now
It picked me up and it knocked me down
I'm on the run, I'm prison bound
The hand of fate is heavy now
I killed a man, I'm highway bound
The wheel of fortune keeps turning 'round
Turning 'round, turning 'round
I should have known it was a one horse town
[Verse 2]
'Cause my sweet girl was once his wife
And he had papers that the judge had signed
The wind blew hard, it was a stormy night
He shot me once, but I shot him twice
The hand of fate is on me now
It picked me up and it kicked me right down
Kicked me right down
Kicked me right down
[Bridge]
I had to save her life
Yeah, I gunned him twice
Yeah, and I watched him die, watch out boy
Yeah, I watched him die, woo
[Guitar Solo]
[Verse 3]
He was a barroom man, the violent kind
He had no love for that gal of mine
Then one day in a drinking bout
He swore he'd throw me right out of town
The hand of fate is on me now
I shot that man, I put him underground
I put him underground, underground
Yes I did
[Verse 4]
I'm on the run, I hear the hounds
My luck is up, my chips are down
So goodbye baby, so long now
Wish me luck, I'm going to need it child
The hand of fate is on me now
Yeah, it's too late baby
I say it's too late baby, too late now
The hand of fate is on me now
The hand of fate is heavy now
[Outro]
Heavy now
The hand of fate is heavy now
It's too late, too late now
The hand of fate is heavy now
It pick you up and it knock you down
Hand of Fate was written by Mick Jagger & Keith Richards.
Hand of Fate was produced by The Glimmer Twins & Mick Jagger & Keith Richards.
The Rolling Stones released Hand of Fate on Fri Apr 23 1976.