Intro
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[Verse 1]
G#
I was riding on the Mayflower
G#
When I thought I spied some land
G#
I yelled for Captain Arab
G#
I have yuh understand
C#
Who came running to the deck
C#
Said, “Boys, forget the whale
G#
Look on over yonder
G#
Cut the engines, change the sail
D#
Haul on the bowline”
D#
We sang that melody
G#
Like all tough sailors do
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When they are far away at sea
[Verse 2]
G#
“I think I’ll call it America”
G#
I said as we hit land
G#
I took a deep breath
G#
I fell down, I could not stand
C#
Captain Arab he started
C#
Writing up some deeds
G#
He said, “Let’s set up a fort
G#
And start buying the place with beads”
D#
Just then this cop comes down the street
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Crazy as a loon
G#
He throws us all in jail
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For carryin’ harpoons
[Verse 3]
G#
Ah me I busted out
G#
Don’t even ask me how
G#
I went to get some help
G#
I walked by a Guernsey cow
C#
Who directed me down
C#
To the Bowery slums
G#
Where people carried signs around
G#
Saying, “Ban the bums”
D#
I jumped right into line
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Sayin’, “I hope that I’m not late”
G#
When I realized I hadn’t eaten
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For five days straight
[Verse 4]
G#
I went into a restaurant
G#
Lookin’ for the cook
G#
I told them I was the editor
G#
Of a famous etiquette book
C#
The waitress he was handsome
C#
He wore a powder blue cape
G#
I ordered some suzette, I said
G#
“Could you please make that crepe”
D#
Just then the whole kitchen exploded
D#
From boilin’ fat
G#
Food was flying everywhere
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And I left without my hat
[Verse 5]
G#
Now, I didn’t mean to be nosy
G#
But I went into a bank
G#
To get some bail for Arab
G#
And all the boys back in the tank
C#
They asked me for some collateral
C#
And I pulled down my pants
G#
They threw me in the alley
G#
When up comes this girl from France
D#
Who invited me to her house
D#
I went, but she had a friend
G#
Who knocked me out and robbed my boots
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And I was on the street again
[Verse 6]
G#
Well, I rapped upon a house
G#
With the U.S. flag upon display
G#
I said, “Could you help me out
G#
I got some friends down the way”
C#
The man says, “Get out of here
C#
I’ll tear you limb from limb”
G#
I said, “You know they refused Jesus, too”
G#
He said, “You’re not Him
D#
Get out of here before I break your bones
D#
I ain’t your pop”
G#
I decided to have him arrested
G#
And I went looking for a cop
[Interlude]
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(harmonica)
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(harmonica)
[Verse 7]
G#
I ran right outside
G#
And I hopped inside a cab
G#
I went out the other door
G#
This Englishman said, “Fab”
C#
As he saw me leap a hot dog stand
C#
And a chariot that stood
G#
Parked across from a building
G#
Advertising brotherhood
D#
I ran right through the front door
D#
Like a hobo sailor does
G#
But it was just a funeral parlor
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And the man asked me who I was
[Verse 8]
G#
I repeated that my friends
G#
Were all in jail, with a sigh
G#
He gave me his card
G#
He said, “Call me if they die”
C#
I shook his hand and said goodbye
C#
Ran out to the street
G#
When a bowling ball came down the road
G#
And knocked me off my feet
D#
A# pay phone was ringing
D#
It just about blew my mind
G#
When I picked it up and said hello
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This foot came through the line
[Verse 9]
G#
Well, by this time I was fed up
G#
At tryin’ to make a stab
G#
At bringin’ back any help
G#
For my friends and Captain Arab
C#
I decided to flip a coin
C#
Like either heads or tails
G#
Would let me know if I should go
G#
Back to ship or back to jail
D#
So I hocked my sailor suit
D#
And I got a coin to flip
G#
It came up tails, it rhymed with sails
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So I made it back to the ship
[Verse 10]
G#
Well, I got back and took
G#
The parkin’ ticket off the mast
G#
I was ripping it to shreds
G#
When this coastguard boat went past
C#
They asked me my name
C#
And I said, “Captain Kidd”
G#
They believed me but
G#
They wanted to know
G#
What exactly that I did
D# D#
I said for the Pope of Eruke I was employed
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They let me go right away
G#
They were very paranoid
[Interlude]
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(harmonica)
[Verse 11]
G#
Well, the last I heard of Arab
G#
He was stuck on a whale
G#
That was married to the deputy
G#
Sheriff of the jail
C#
But the funniest thing was
C#
When I was leavin’ the bay
G#
I saw three ships a-sailin’
G#
They were all heading my way
D#
I asked the captain what his name was
D#
And how come he didn’t drive a truck
G#
He said his name was Columbus
G#
I just said, “Good luck”
[Outro]
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(harmonica, repeat and fade)