Ralph McTell – Gammel Dansk (Guitar Intro Tab)

     Am
The daylight quickly fading,

          Dm
with his headache wearing off,

     G
the collar of his over coat

Am    E7      Am
muffling his cough.

    Dm
A siren from a ship

        Am
barely made him raise his head,

            E
since he'd missed the boat to Malmo,

          Am    E      Am
he'd try Gothenburg instead.

    Am
Outside snow was falling,

      Dm
like torn up betting slips,

    G
confetti for the jilted, wedding

 Am        E       Am
night of passing ships.

    Dm
And if they ever find her,

          Am
she'll be one more on the list,

    E
and if they never find her,

     Am         E    Am
how long will she be missed

        Am
Black skeletons of cranes

  Dm
against the snow at night,

 G
witness dockside shadows

        Am E       Am
that negotiate the night.

 Dm
Lost souls flew like seagulls

           Am
who have slipped their earthly chain,

 E
risen and returned

        Am        E     Am
as the snow turns into rain.

           F
While the Filipino sailors

         Am
with a flag from Panama

 E
silently slipped moorings, he stayed

 Am      E7     Am
anchored at the bar.

     F
The barmaid poured his beer

    Am
without a second glance,

                   E7
and set it on the counter

        Am      E      Am
with a shot of Gammel Dansk.

Dm7           Dm7/G
Any dockside drive

E7/G#  Am
is a  harbour not a home

 E
Life is black and white,

         Am       E    Am
and the world is monochrome

           F
While the Filipino sailors

         Am
with a flag from Panama

 E
left the harbour's safety

       Am   E7        Am
to the open sea once more

       F
Their world moved safely backwards

        Am
as the vessel headed past,

                        E7
he lent forward on the counter

     Am       E7      Am
and drained another glass.

   Am
As he pulled out his cigarettes,

        Dm
loose change spilled on the floor,

         G
like a clue left for the cleaners

       Am    E        Am
as he tilted out the door.

       Dm
And through the bones of cranes

     Am
the wind began to blow,

       E
birds settled on the water

         Am          E       Am
and the rain turned back to snow.