Abdul, El Bulbul Amir --- Trad.
The [D7]sons of the prophet are [G]hardy and bold
And [C]quite unaccustomed to [G]fear,
But the [D7]bravest of all was a [G]man I am told
Named Abdul, El [D7]Bulbul A-[G]mir.
When they [D7]needed a man to en-[G]courage the van,
Or to [C]harass a foe from the [G]rear,
Storm [D7]fort or redoubt, they had [G]only to shout
For Abdul, El [D7]Bulbul A-[G]mir.
This [D7]son of the desert in [G]battle aroused,
Could [C]spit twenty men on his [G]spear.
A [D7]terrible creature when [G]sober or soused,
Was Abdul, El [D7]Bulbul A-[G]mir..
Now the [D7]heroes were plenty and [G]well known to fame
Who [C]fought in the ranks of the [G]Czar;
But the [C]bravest of these was a [G]man by the name
Of Ivan Ska-[D7]vinsky Ski-[G]var.
He could [D7]imitate Irving, play [G]poker and pool,
And [C]strum on the Spanish gui-[G] tar;
In [C]fact, quite the cream of the [G]Muscovite team
Was Ivan Ska-[D7]vinsky Ski-[G]var.
The [D7]ladies all loved him, his [G]rivals were few;
He could [C]drink them all under the [G]bar.
As [C]gallant or tank, there was [G]no one to rank
With Ivan Ska-[D7]vinsky Ski-[G]var.
One [D7]day this bold Russian had [G]shouldered his gun,
And [C]donned his most truculent [G]sneer;
Down-[C]town he did go, where he [G]trod on the toe
Of Abdul, El [D7]Bulbul A-[G]mir..
[D7]"Young man," said Bulbul, "has your [G]life grown so dull
That you're [C]anxious to end your ca-[G]reer?
Vile [C]infidel, know you have [G]trod on the toe
Of Abdul, El [D7]Bulbul A-[G]mir.."
"So [D7]take your last look at [G]sunshine and brook,
And [C]send your regrets to the [G]Czar,
By [C]which I imply, you are [G]going to die,
Mr. Ivan Ska-[D7]vinsky Ski-[G]var."
Said [D7]Ivan, "My friend, your re-[G]marks in the end
Will a-[C]vail you but little, I [G]fear;
For you [C]ne'er will survive to re- [G]peat them alive,
Mr. Abdul, El [D7]Bulbul A-[G]mir.."
Then that [D7]bold Mameluke drew his trusty ski-[G]bouk,
With a [C] cry of "Allah Ak-[G]bar."
And with [C]murderous intent, he fe-[G]rociously went
For Ivan Ska-[D7]vinsky Ski-[G]var.
They [D7]parried and thrust, they sidestepped and [G]cussed,
And of [C]blood they did spill quite a [G]lot;
The phi-[C]lologist blokes, who [G]seldom crack jokes,
Say that hash was first [D7]made on that [G]spot.
They [D7]fought all that night, 'neath the pale yellow [G]moon
The [C]din, it was heard from a-[G]far,
And huge [C]multitudes came, so [G]great was the fame,
Of Abdul and [D7]Ivan Sk-[G]ivar.
As [D7]Abdul's long knife was extracting the [G]life,
In [C]fact he had shouted "Huz-[G]zah"
He [C]felt himself struck by that [G]wily Calmuck
Count Ivan Ska-[D7]vinsky Ski-[G]var.
The [D7]sultan drove by in his red-breasted [G]fly,
Ex-[C]pecting the victor to [G]cheer,
But he [C]only drew nigh just to [G]hear the last sigh
Of Abdul, El [D7]Bulbul A-[G]mir..
Czar [D7]Petrovich, too, in his spectacles [G]blue,
Rode [C]up in his new crested [G]car;
He ar-[C]rived just in time to ex-[G]change a last line
With Ivan Ska-[D7]vinsky Ski-[G]var.
There's a [D7]tomb rises up where the Blue Danube [G]rolls,
And [C]'graved there in characters [G]clear
Is [C]"Stranger, when passing, oh [G]pray for the soul
Of Abdul, El [D7]Bulbul A-[G]mir.."
A [D7]Muscovite maiden her lone vigil [G]keeps
'Neath the [C]light of the pale polar [G]star,
And the [C]name that she murmurs so [G]oft as she weeps,
Is Ivan Ska-[D7]vinsky Ski-[G]var.