Chords for "The Arabic", John Doyle

_ _ It's called Yes, I's Arabic. _ _ _
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_ _ _ _ [Eb] _ _ [Ebm] In stony [Eb] grey soil, to [Bb] hardship and toil,
[Eb] Rust commons, [Abm] rough [Bbm] lands, they own me.
[Ebm] Digging potatoes and ploughing the earth,
As my family did [Db] long before me.
[Bb] [B] But I swore I would for [Gb] all the land my own seed,
Rise from my knees and [Bbm] stand proudly,
[B] On that I [Abm] swore, or some foreign [Db] shore,
[B] Would grant me [Bbm] the life I'd earned of [Ebm] sure lead.
_ _ So I saved up them to be my passage to [Eb] pay,
And braved the [Ab] road early one [Bbm] morning.
[Ebm] I bid adieu to my family among grief [Db] and tears,
[Eb] As I feared that there [Db] was no returning.
[Eb] On the white star line I'd soon sail [Gb] away,
Although the [Abm] great war was still [Db] raging.
But we marched a [Bb] long way, to [Abm] Queenstown made way,
And the Arabic [Bbm] had bloomed far [Ebm] above me.
_ [Eb] _ [B] Who knows what [Gb] fate brings, but life is in store,
[Ebm] We peer to a looking-glass [Bbm] dimly.
[Gb] I saw ice the week before, and steerage [Bbm] went o'er,
While [Ebm] below decks a dread chill spread o'er me.
[Abm] At last we weighed anchor and ploughed [Gb] o'er to Maine,
The last hint of [Eb] land [Bbm] dimming slowly.
We zigzagged our course, for [Ab] fear of the worst,
But the worst plied its [Ebm] course far below me. _ _ _ _ _ _
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[Eb] _ _ _ _ _ _ U-24, the [Abm] scourge of the sea,
Spied us and soon they [Bbm] made ready.
[Eb] The orbitals were loosed, our ship was [Ab] reduced,
To a [Ebm] watery grave, [Bbm] sinking steadily.
The [Ebm] lifeboats were cast, the men [Gb] embarked last,
But there was too [Abm] few for [Db] so many.
While I [Ebm] jumped in the sea, a [Db] blast wound me,
And the blood [Bbm] ran from [Eb] can freely. _ _ _ _ _ _ _
[Ebm] _ _ _ _ _ _ [Bbm] _ _
_ _ [B] In fear and [Gb] confusion, crashing [Db] around,
[Ebm] Threatening the abyss, [Bbm] fast approaching,
While [Eb] spying a lifeboat, I clung by its [Eb] side,
But they beat me with oars [Bbm] for encroaching.
[B] A lady on board, took pity [Gb] on me,
As I took my last [Db] breath and was sinking,
[B] Grabbing [Eb] my arm to keep me [Db] from harm,
But she held [Bb] me and saved me from [Ebm] drowning. _ _
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So [Ebm] we got back on shore, safe [Eb] and secure,
And they led us all [Abm] to the [Bbm] infirmary.
Three months I [Gb] spent there, wondering why I was [Bbm] spared,
Among [Eb] all, why was I given mercy?
_ [B] Some live and some die, there's no reason [Gb] why,
No spinners weaved their [Ab] webs in my tree,
[B] But I'm back on my land, [Abm] they'd [Db] cleanse a hand,
_ _ And the roots [Db] of rust come and weave [Ebm] around me.
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