Artist/Band: Tom T. Hall Tabs
Song: Salute To A Switchblade Tab
Salute To A Switchblade
By Tom T. Hall
rmofle at satx.rr.com
6/24/04
The recording I have is tuned down 1/4 step.
E
Me and Yates, an Army buddy of mine
A B7 E
We’re doing three years in Germany at the time
E
We came upon these Frauleins in a bar
A B7 E
Yates said, "Darf Ich sie begleiten?"; they said, "Ya."
B7 E
(And "Darf Ich sie begleiten?" means, "Can we sit with you all?")
Oh, we must have drunk ten quarts of German beer
My conscience and my sinuses were clear
I asked that Fraulein if she was a spy
She said, "Nein, but Du bist ein bissel high."
(A condition not uncommon to the American soldier)
Well, later on I went to be excused
When I returned I was a bit confused
Yates and his Fraulein had hit the air
Another guy was sitting in my chair
(A young soldier whom we shall get to know better)
I said, "Excuse me mister that's my seat
I'd like to have it back sir if you please
That girl's a nurse and I've been awful sick."
The man looked up at me and said, "Mox Nix"
(Which means that he was not overly concerned with my health)
Key of F (F, Bb, C7)
Next thing I knew he had a switchblade knife
Lord, I didn't know that Fraulein was his wife
I took off through that Gasthaus like a fool
Behind me I heard the crashing stools
(As the police would say, he was in hot pursuit)
Well, the waitress yelled, "There's MPs on the way!"
That's one more reason I didn't want to stay
As I went out the window something went "Swish"
And I giggled all the way home knowing he'd missed
(At the time it seemed like a laughing matter)
But next morning my coat was lying there on the bunk
And when I saw that coat it made me jump
That man had cut my coat right down the back
A little bit more and they'd-a-been playing me Taps
(And knowing the sad nature of that song, I would decline it)
Well, later on I heard that guy got stabbed
They sent him home and didn't that make me glad
On love and marriage I want to say one thing
Oh, lady if you're married wear that ring
And the Army has a new policy: If you can't move it, paint it
If it has a switchblade knife, salute it
Not necessarily an incident one would want to write Mother about
Germany being full of good soldiers, and good people
a
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