Chords for John Doyle - SS Arabic

_ _ _ _ But it's a _ song about my great-grandfather.
He was a man named Martin Lohan.
_ He came from Roscommon in _ Ireland.
Anyone from ties to Roscommon? _ _ _ _ _ _ _
Never is.
Apparently there never is.
I've asked many people and no one admits to it. _ _ _
Roscommon is a modest place with much to be modest about. _
_ _ _ _ It's one of those great spots.
I [E] love it myself.
_ _ _ I never knew my mother's side of the family very well.
When she mentioned this story to me _ _ 5 or 6 years ago,
I was like, why didn't you tell me this?
This is a fantastic story. _ _ _ _
She's one of these stoic [F#] people.
She wouldn't say, I wouldn't [Em] mention that now.
_ _ [N] _ _ _ _ In 1915 he decided to leave for America.
He walked from Roscommon to Queenstown, which is now Cove,
and took the SS Arabic.
It was a passenger ship bound for New York or Philadelphia.
_ They were 80 km offshore when U-24, a German U-boat on manoeuvres,
as it was in the middle of the First World War, decided to attack. _
It plugged 2 torpedoes in her and she went down in 10 minutes.
My great-grandfather Martin Lohan _ _ survived _ this _ _ calamity,
jumped into the sea, and he was swimming around and a life raft came close by him.
He swam to it, but the men started beating him with oars to get him away from it,
afraid that he would topple it over.
_ Luckily for him, a woman actually outstretched her hand on the back of the boat
and saved his life _ and hoisted him up on board the deck.
_ He did not marry her, _ just so you know. _
_ _ _ _ _ He got back on shore and he spent 3 months _ in an infirmary
and then walked back home to Roscommon.
_ When he got there, much to his surprise, he found that his family had no news
that he had ever survived the wreck, so they had to wake and bury him.
_ _ [Em] You can imagine what happened after that.
I don't know who would have been more shocked, him or them, _ that he was dead.
_ _ _ _ _ [A] _
[E] So this is a song called The SS Arabic. _ _ _
_ _ _ [E] _ _ _ _ _
_ [Em] _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ [E] _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ [C#m] _ _ [C] _
_ _ _ [B] _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ [E] _ _ In stony grey soil, [G] through hardship and toil,
[E] Roscommon's rough [Bm] lands they own me.
_ [E] Digging potatoes and ploughing [Bm] the earth,
as [Em] my family did long before me.
[C] But I swore I would grow, plant my [G] own seed,
[Am] rise from my knees and [Bm] stand proudly.
_ [Em] America, I swore, [Am] or some [Bm] foreign shore,
[C] would grant me the life I dreamt of, [A] surely.
_ [Em] _ So I saved up the money my passage to pay
[B] and braved the road [Bm] early one morning.
[B] I bid adieu to my family among [E] grief and tears,
as I feared that there was [A] no returning.
[C] On the white [Em] starlight I'd soon [G] sail away,
although [Am] the great war was [Bm] still raging.
[C] But we marched a long way, [Am] the Queen's [Bm] town made way,
and the [B] Arabic etlum far above [A] me.
[E] _ _
[C] Who knows what fate brings, [G] what life has in store,
[Em] we peered through a looking [Bm]-glass dimly.
As I [E] stepped on board, [Em] the steerage [Bm] went o'er,
while below decks a dread chill spread o'er me.
[C] At last we weighed anchor in Plough [G] North Amain,
the last [C] hint of land [Bm] dimming slowly.
Well, we zigzagged our [Am] course for fear [Bm] of the worst,
but the worst plied its course [E] far below [Em] me. _ _ _
[F#] _ _ _ _ _ _ [C#m] _ _
[Em] _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ [F#] _ _ _ _ _ [A] _ _
[C] _ _ _ _ [Em] _ _ _ _
_ [E] _ _ _ _ _ _ _
U-24, the scourge of the sea,
spied [A] us and soon they made [Bm] ready.
_ _ [B] Torpedoes were loose and our ship [Bm] was reduced
to [Em] a watery grave, [Bm] sinking steadily.
[C] The lifeboats were cast, the [G] men embarked last,
but there was [E] too few for so [D] many.
_ [C] Well, I jumped in the sea [Am] as a blast [Bm] wounded me,
and [C] the blood [B] ran thick [C] and freely.
_ _ _ [E] Well, in fear and confusion, [B] thrashing [Em] around,
dreading the abyss [Bm] fast approaching.
[E] While spying a life raft, I clung by its side,
but they beat me with oars [Bm] for encroaching.
[C] Still a lady on board took [G] pity on me
as I took [Am] my last breath and [Bm] was sinking.
_ [Em] Grabbing my arm to keep me from harm,
she held [B] me and saved [C] me from drowning. _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ Well, [E] we got back on shore, [Bm] safe and secure,
[E] and they led us all to [Bm] the infirmary. _
[Em] Three months I spent there wondering why I [Bm] was spared.
[Em] Among all, why was I [Bm] given mercy?
[C] Some live and some [A] die, there's no [G] reasons.
Why do spinners weave their [Bm] whims in mystery?
Well, I'm back on my [E] land, and fate [Bm] lends a hand,
and the roots of rust come and [E] weave around me.
_ _ _ [Em] _ _ _ _ _ [E] _ _ [Em] _ _ _
[E] _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ [C] _ _
_ _ _ [G] _ _ _ [C] _ _
_ [Em] _ _ _ _ _ [D] _ _
_ [A] _ _ _ [E] _ _ _ _
[Em] _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
[N] _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _