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