Rescue Mission – Kristofferson et al
(chords - Michael Thompson - Canberra AU) 

INTRO: Dm C Dm C

    Dm                                   F             C
The captain touched his swagger stick up to his golden eye
    Dm                               C              Dm
And boogied thru the vestibule while bidding us goodbye
    Am                         C
The enemy surrounds us and our spirit's almost gone
    Dm                          C             Dm
The devil take the cavarly that sold us for a song


BREAK: Dm  C

"If I'd've been a carpenter," the swarthy sergeant said
"I'd never seen this ugly thing that hangs above my head
The hell with all your heroes and the wounds they hope to show
I'm just a simple soldier, son, with one more year to go"

BREAK

The albatross was tiring and the cook was in a stew
The filthy little cabin boy was whizzing in my shoe
The Captain's wife was aging, and the first mate heard her scream
When Tommy slipped tabasco in the Captain's vaseline

BREAK

"Our time will soon be gone" he said, "it's all we've left to lose
We've shot our ammunition and we're all but out of booze
So here's to Imra Donegal, here's to Nellie Blye
And here's to my old friend," he said, and kissed his ass goodbye

BREAK

"Give off, give off, you sorry lot, give off," the Captain cried
"We've lost our bloody anchor and we're drifting with the tide
The swollen surf is pounding like a thousand cannons' roar
And I shake the hand of any man who guides us into shore"

BREAK

"We're saved, we're saved," the soldiers said, "we're saved" the soldiers cried
And soldiers climbed aboard while sailors left from either side
Some swabbies hit the minefield and the rifles all got the rest
And somewhere there's a schooner sinkin' slowly in the west

Dm C Dm C Dm