Leon Rosselson – Ballad Of A Spycatcher chords

Chords:
Transpose:
[Intro]
D  C 
D  C

[Verse 1]
D GNow listen children while I sing this ballad I've just made
D A CAbout a Peter (Wright, not Rabbit), a spycatcher by trade
D GI'll sing of how he joined a special gang called MI5
D G D C DWho guard the nation's secrets so that liberty may thrive
D7 GAnd of how young Peter, quick to learn, soon got to know the ropes
DThe trick of picking locks
A CThe art of opening envelopes
D GAnd of how the senior officers began their working day
D G D C DBy trying to solve the crossword... in The Times (needless to say)
[Chorus]
D7But of all the strange things I'll relate
GThe strangest thing to me
D A CIs that this doggeral I am singing contravenes the Rule of Three
DFor Nanny (God bless Nanny) Thinks it wouldn't do
G D G D C DFor you to know about the naughty things that grown-up people do
[Interlude] D C D C [Verse 2]
D GS.F. (Special Facility) was Peter's favourite toy
D A CAnd night and day he played with it like any little boy
D GFor bugging rooms and tapping 'phones were things he loved the best
D G D C D'Five years' said Wright 'we bugged and burgled at the state's behest'
D7 GWe bugged the Russian embassy which wasn't very chique
D A CSo we bugged the French, the Chinese, the Egyptians and the Greek
D GBugged Khrushchev's rooms in Clarriages and listened in with care
D G D C DWhile 'K' decided on his tie and how to part his hair
[Chorus]
D7But of all the strange things I relate
GThe strangest thing to me
D A CIs that this doggeral I am singing contravenes the Rule of Three
DFor Nanny (God bless Nanny) Thinks it wouldn't do
G D G D C DFor you to know about the naughty things that grown-up people do
[Interlude] D C D C [Verse 3]
D They bugged colonial conferences
G DThen they turned their minds to keeping tabs on millitants
A Cand 'lefties' of all kinds
D GTrade-unionists and studens where the targests of their whiles
D G D C D They burgled C.P. member's homes and stole the party's files
D7And what did it add up to?
D7 GAnd what did it avail?
D A CAll this bugging and burgling and intercepting mail
DDid it save us from the Russians?
D GDid it help to keep us free?
D G Did it keep this country green and pleasant?
D C DDid it buggery!
[Chorus]
D7But of all the strange things I relate
GThe strangest thing to me
D A CIs that this doggeral I am singing contravenes the Rule of Three
DFor Nanny (God bless Nanny) Thinks it wouldn't do
G D G D C DFor you to know about the naughty things that grown-up people do
D C D C [Verse 4]
D G'The trouble was' said Wright 'That we often were mislead'
D A C'And the Russians always seemed to be a step or two ahead'
D G'For what ever MI5 knew, the Russians knew it too'
D G D C D'And when we knew they knew we knew, they knew we knew they knew'
D7Penkovsky, was he theirs or ours? A triumph or a con?
G A CSo back-and-forth and round-and-round the maisy dance went on
D GWhile Peter set up operations Sunshine, Pigroot, Choir
D D C DDew-worm, Mole (what lovely names!) and saw them all mis-fire
[Chorus]
D7But of all the strange things I relate
GThe strangest thing to me
D A CIs that this doggeral I am singing contravenes the Rule of Three
DFor Nanny (God bless Nanny) Thinks it wouldn't do
G D G D C DFor you to know about the naughty things that grown-up people do
[Interlude] D C D C [Verse 5]
D'I fear the worst' says Peter
G'And this I can't fogive:'
D A C'For years the Secret Service has been leaking like a seive'
D G'The evidence is growing there is someone placed on-high'
D G'Who's tipping-off the Russians'
D C D'A traitor and a spy'
D7Was it Mitchell?
D7Was it Hollice (The outfit's own D.G.)?
G'Incredible!' I hear you say
A CBut Wright would not agree
DHis finger points to Hollice
G'I'll unmask him if I can'
D G D C D'He's ex-public school and Oxford, and I've never liked the man'
[Verse 6]
DAnd now my tales grows farcicle
GAnd should we laugh or cry?
D A CFor the C.I.A man Angleton names Wilson as a Spy
D GAnd Cecil King in '68 decides to lead a coup
D GAgainst the Wilson government
D C DSo strange it must be true
D7 GAnd certain shady businessmen asked Peter for the gen
D A CTo do the dirt on Wilson and keep him out of Number 10
D GAnd a group of senior officers tell Wright of their intent
D G D C DTo save us from the clutches of a Labour government
[Chorus]
D7But of all the strange things I relate
GThe strangest thing to me
D A CIs that this doggeral I am singing contravenes the Rule of Three
DFor Nanny (God bless Nanny) Thinks it wouldn't do
G D G D C DFor you to know about the naughty things that grown-up people do
[Interlude] D C D C [Verse 7]
D GNow I haven't time to tell you of those other dirty tricks
D A CLike the plot to bump-off Nasser (but that was MI6)
D G D And of how the C.I.A planned in 1965 to open up their sharky mouth
D C DAnd swallow MI5 alive
D7 GBut one more thing I feel that I should bring to your attention:
D A CFor all his pains poor Peter never got his propper pension
D GSo why not buy his book yourelf and do the man some good
D G D C D So he can die comfort as ex-spycatchers should
[Chorus]
D7But of all the things I've told you
GThe strangest thing to me
D A CIs that this doggeral I am singing contravenes the Rule of Three
DFor Nanny (God bless Nanny) Thinks it wouldn't do
G D G D C DFor you to know about the naughty things that spycatchers do
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