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Around The Wild Cape Horn

Ralph McTell
Version1
90

Chords in this song

Strum
D-DU-UDU
I  was born a land-bound farm boy  and in  New England raised,
 The rippling of the wheat  fields, well they were  my ocean waves.
 Each cry  and call, each rise  and fall,  of the crows  a-cross  the corn
 Were seagulls swooping  a-cross  the bow,  of a ship  I dreamed I’d sail  a-round
 Cape Horn.
My  deck was the dusty farm yard,  my mast  was the telegraph pole
 And the windblow choir in the telephone  wire was the call  heard in my soul
And  it seemed to have  been singing since  the day that I  was born
 I'm gonna take a trip  on a sailing ship, all  the way around  the wild  Cape
Horn
Well  I found that ship in Hamburg,  her name  it was  Peking
 Our skipper’s name was Captain  Jürs, and  I’d never met a man like  him.
He  pulled two men out from  the sea,  by the hair,  in a raging storm.
 And he kept that grip  on a sailing ship, all  the way around  the wild  Cape
Horn.
Well  its four hours on and its four hours off and  you sleep in your wet
clothes
 The only dry thing on  the ship is the cargo down  below
Eleven  thousand miles  we sailed, nigh  on one hundred dawns
Thirty  two sails  on a heaving ship,  pulling us around  the wild  cape horn
Well  the cargo weighed five thousand tons,  the ship  three thousand more.
 An acre of sail was  up aloft, some seventeen  storeys tall.
And  we had a pig, and a scruffy dog  and a turkey fed  on corn.
And  willing hands  who catch  the wind,  hauling us around  the wild  Cape Horn.
For  seventeen days we were becalmed  and then Friday the  thirteenth
 Sixty eight great ships  were lost in the storm  of the century.
But  we were swept into the Atlantic,  on a sun-lit sparkling morn,
The  turkey got sick,  so we ate  him quick,  on the way around  the wild  Cape
Horn.
Well  she had us sort of hypnotised, no time  to catch our breath,
 If you want to feel real  alive, well you have  to flirt  with death.
Sail  close to the harnessed wind,  and treat  all risks  with scorn
A  farm boy and  an un-yoked  team,  ploughed their way around  the wild  Cape
Horn.
Now  on that voyage we lost  two boys,  they got  thrown overboard.
 Silence from us down  below, no one  could put in words.
Two  empty bunks to mark  the space  in our  young lives  to mourn,
Voids between  all life  and death,  on the way around  the wild  Cape Horn
And  mountain waves, like avalanches crashed upon  the decks,
 The screaming winds snapped ropes  and spars, and tried  to have us wrecked.
But  she rose and fell through foam  and swell,  her sails  were ripped  and torn
Eight  thousand tons tossed  like a cork,  on the way around  the wild  Cape Horn.
And  she had us sort of hypnotised, no time  to catch our breath,
 If you want to feel real  alive, well you have  to flirt  with death.
Sail  close to the harnessed wind,  and treat  all risks  with scorn
A  farm boy and  an un-yoked  team,  ploughed their way around  the wild  Cape
Horn.
Well,  a farm boy and un-yoked team,  ploughed their way around  the wild  Cape
Horn.

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Readable chord sheet for Around The Wild Cape Horn by Ralph McTell

[G]I was born a land-bound [C]farm [G]boy and [Em]in New [D]England [C]raised,
The rippling of the [G]wheat fields, well they [Em]were my ocean [D]waves.
Each [G]cry and call, each [C]rise and [G]fall, of the [Em]crows a-[D]cross the [C]corn
Were seagulls [G]swooping a-[D]cross the [G]bow, of a [C]ship I dreamed I’d [Em]sail a-[D]round
Cape [G]Horn.

[G]My deck was the dusty [C]farm [G]yard, my [Em]mast was the [D]telegraph [C]pole
And the windblow choir in the [G]telephone wire was the [Em]call heard in my [D]soul
[G]And it seemed to [C]have been [G]singing [Em]since the day that [D]I was [C]born
I'm gonna take a [G]trip on a [D]sailing [G]ship, [C]all the way [Em]around the [D]wild Cape
[G]Horn

[G]Well I found that ship in [C]Ham[G]burg, her [Em]name it [D]was Peki[C]ng
Our skipper’s name was [G]Captain Jürs, and[Em] I’d never met a man [D]like him.
[G]He pulled two men out [C]from the [G]sea, by the [Em]hair, in a [D]raging [C]storm.
And he kept that [G]grip on a [D]sailing [G]ship, [C]all the way [Em]around the [D]wild Cape
[G]Horn.

[D]Well its four hours on and its four hours off [Am]and you sleep in your wet
[C]clothes
The only dry thing [G]on the ship is the [C]cargo [Em]down be[D]low
[G]Eleven thousand [C]miles we [G]sailed, [Em]nigh on one [D]hundred [C]dawns
[G]Thirty two [D]sails on a [G]heaving [C]ship, pulling us [Em]around the [D]wild cape [G]horn

[G]Well the cargo weighed five [C]thousand [G]tons, the [Em]ship three [D]thousand [C]more.
An acre of sail [G]was up aloft, some [Em]seventeen storeys [D]tall.
[G]And we had a pig, and a [C]scruffy [G]dog and a [Em]turkey [D]fed on [C]corn.
[G]And willing [D]hands who [G]catch the [C]wind, hauling us [Em]around the [D]wild Cape [G]Horn.

[G]For seventeen days we [C]were [G]becalmed and then [Em]Friday [D]the thirt[C]eenth
Sixty eight great [G]ships were lost in the [Em]storm of the [D]century.
[G]But we were swept into the [C]Atlanti[G]c, on a [Em]sun-lit [D]sparkling [C]morn,
[G]The turkey got [D]sick, so we [G]ate him [C]quick, on the way [Em]around the [D]wild Cape
[G]Horn.

[D]Well she had us sort of hypnotised, no [Am]time to catch our [C]breath,
If you want to feel [G]real alive, well you [C]have to [Em]flirt with [D]death.
[G]Sail close to the [C]harnessed [G]wind, and [Em]treat all [D]risks with [C]scorn
[G]A farm boy [D]and an [G]un-yoked t[C]eam, ploughed their way [Em]around the [D]wild Cape
[G]Horn.

[G]Now on that voyage we [C]lost two [G]boys, they [Em]got thrown [D]overb[C]oard.
Silence from us [G]down below, no [Em]one could put in [D]words.
[G]Two empty bunks to [C]mark the [G]space in [Em]our young [D]lives to [C]mourn,
[G]Voids [D]between all [G]life and [C]death, on the way [Em]around the [D]wild Cape [G]Horn

[G]And mountain waves, like [C]ava[G]lanches [Em]crashed [D]upon the [C]decks,
The screaming winds snapped [G]ropes and spars, and [Em]tried to have us [D]wrecked.
[G]But she rose and fell through [C]foam and [G]swell, her [Em]sails were [D]ripped and [C]torn
[G]Eight thousand [D]tons [G]tossed like a [C]cork, on the way [Em]around the [D]wild Cape [G]Horn.

[D]And she had us sort of hypnotised, no [Am]time to catch our [C]breath,
If you want to feel [G]real alive, well you [C]have to [Em]flirt with [D]death.
[G]Sail close to the [C]harnessed [G]wind, and [Em]treat all [D]risks with [C]scorn
[G]A farm boy [D]and an [G]un-yoked t[C]eam, ploughed their way [Em]around the [D]wild Cape
[G]Horn.
[G]Well, a farm boy [D]and [G]un-yoked [C]team, ploughed their way [Em]around the [D]wild Cape
[G]Horn.

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