Epistle To Derroll by Donovan Lyric and Guitar Chords

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from ‘A Gift from a Flower to a Garden’ (1968)

CAPO 3rd FRET

(Original Key: Eb)

(N.B The C and C/G chord are played in this rhythm):

[C/G]

e|-----------|-----------|
B|-----1--1--|-----1--1--|
G|-----0--0--|-----0--0--|
D|-----2--2--|-----2--2--|
A|--3--3--3--|-----3--3--|
E|-----------|--3--3--3--|

Intro:

C C/G,
C C/G C C/G,
[C/G] [C/G]
Verse 1:

Come all ye [C/G]starry star-[C/G]fish,
Living in the deep blue sea.[C/G][C/G]
Crawl to [C/G]me;
I have a [C/G]propo-sition to make thee.[C/G][C/G]
Would you [C/G]walk the North Sea [C/G]floor,
To Belgium from Eng-land?[C/G][C/G]

Chorus 1:

Bring me [C/G]word of a banjo man,
With a tattoo on his hand.[C/G][C/G]

Verse 2:

The spokesman [C/G]of the star-[C/G]fish,
Spoke as spokesman should.[C/G][C/G]
“If’n you [C/G]met our fee [C/G]then,
Certainly we would.[C/G][C/G]
If you [C/G]cast a looking-[C/G]glass,
U-pon the scallopped sand;[C/G][C/G]

Chorus 2:

You’ll have [C/G]word o’ this banjo man,
With a tattoo on his hand”.[C/G][C/G]

Verse 3:

Come all ye [C/G]starry star-[C/G]fish,
I know your ways are caped.[C/G][C/G]
Maybe [C/G]its be-cause you’re,
[C/G] Astro-logically shaped.[C/G][C/G]
Converse [C/G]with the herring [C/G]shoals,
As I know you can,[C/G][C/G]

Chorus 3:

Bring me [C/G]word o’ the banjo man,
With a tattoo on his hand.[C/G][C/G]

Verse 4:

The eldest [C/G]of the star-[C/G]fish,
Spoke, after a sigh;[C/G][C/G]
“Youthfull [C/G]as you are young [C/G]man,
You have a ‘Wisdom Eye’;[C/G][C/G]
Surely [C/G]you must know a [C/G]looking-glass,
Is made from sand?[C/G][C/G]

Chorus 4:

These young-[C/G]fish are fooling you,
A-bout this banjo man.”[C/G][C/G]

Verse 5:

“Come then [C/G]aged star-[C/G]fish,
Riddle me no more.[C/G][C/G]
For news [C/G]I am wea-[C/G]ry,
And my heart is sore;[C/G][C/G]
All on the [C/G]silent sea-[C/G]shore,
Help me if you can,[C/G][C/G]

Chorus 5:

Tell to [C/G]me, if you know,
Of this banjo man.”[C/G][C/G]

Verse 6:

“All through the [C/G]seven o-[C/G]ceans,
I am a star most famed.[C/G][C/G]
Many ‘[C/G]leggys’ have I [C/G]lost,
And many have I gained.[C/G][C/G]
Strange to [C/G]say, quite recent-[C/G]ly,
I’ve been to Fleming Land,[C/G][C/G]

Chorus 6:

And if [C/G]you are courteous,
I’ll tell you all I can.”[C/G][C/G]

Verse 7:

“You have my [C/G]full at-ten-[C/G]tion”,
I answered him with glee,[C/G][C/G]
His brother [C/G]stars were twink-[C/G]ling,
In the sky above the sea.[C/G][C/G]
So [C/G]I sat there with [C/G]rapt,
At-tention, on the sand,[C/G][C/G]

Chorus 7:

Very [C/G]anxious for to hear,
Of the banjo man.[C/G][C/G]

Verse 8:

“I have [C/G]seen this tattooed [C/G]hand,
Through a ship port-hole.[C/G][C/G]
Steaming [C/G]on the watery [C/G]main,
Through the waves so cold.[C/G][C/G]
Heard his [C/G]tinkling banjo,
[C/G] And his voice so grand.[C/G][C/G]

Chorus 8:

But you must [C/G]come to Belgium,
To shake his tattooed hand.”[C/G][C/G]

Verse 9:

“Gladly [C/G]would I come,
[C/G] Oh, gladly would I go.[C/G][C/G]
Had I [C/G]not my work to [C/G]do,
And my face to show.[C/G][C/G]
I re-[C/G]joice to know he’s [C/G]well,
But I must go in-land,[C/G][C/G]

Chorus 9:

Thank you [C/G]for the words you brought,
Of the banjo man.”[C/G][C/G]

Verse 10:

I walked a-[C/G]long the evening [C/G]sand,
As charcoal clouds did shift.[C/G][C/G]
Re-vealing [C/G]the moon shi-[C/G]ning,
On the pebble drift.[C/G][C/G]
Contem-plating [C/G]every other [C/G]word,
The starfish said;[C/G][C/G]

Chorus 10:

Whistly [C/G]winds, they filled my dreams,
In my dreaming bed.[C/G][C/G]

CHORD DIAGRAMS:

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[C/G]
x32010 332010 133211 x02210

Tabbed by Joel from cLuMsY, Bristol, England, 2006
(clumsyband@hotmail.com)