verse 1 
 
 Em 
"Watch for the sailor," say frightened old ladies  
     Am 
He's terrorizing the town  
D 
Handsome and sprightly though he's nearly ninety  
     Em 
He's never slowing down  

The language he'll use when he's been on the booze  
    Am                                              D 
The stories he'd tell, well, they'd never choose to listen  
                                                Em 
But sometimes they glance at their husbands and sigh  
       D                    C         D              Em  C D Em  C D 
For an old salt sea-dog who winks and gives them the eye  
 
verse 2 
 
     Em 
When we were in dock  
     C               D            Em         C D 
We'd flock where the whores go in Rotterdam  
   Em 
In old navy blue  
     C          D             Em          C D 
We'd drink to a new love with every dram  
        C                   D  
And the blousy hostesses in short frilly dresses  
    B7           Em 
The young and old___ 
       Am                 D 
They'd seen it before, in peace and in war  
            Em 
They'd been bought and sold  

        Am 
And the bars never close 
             D                    G      D    Em 
Till they've taken your money for rotgut booze 
         C 
And your head hits the ground 
        D                           G        D   Em 
And the world's spinning round in a game you lose  
        Am 
And you cry out the pain 
        D                    G      D    Em 
But you shell out again for another glass  
        F#7 
And you pray that the morning will come 
                     B             B7 
And the ache in your head will pass  


Em  C D X4  
 
verse 3 

    Em 
The ladies display  
      C          D          Em         C D 
Every day in the windows of Amsterdam  
    Em 
Whatever your dream  
           C            D              Em             C D 
You're the cat with the cream when the shutters slam  
        C                            D  
And the guilt that you feel when you find it's not real 
      B7       Em 
Is an old, old friend  
        Am                       D 
And you say, "Not again, well maybe, now and then" 
        Em 
Will it never end?  


[Refrão]

        Am 
And the bars never close 
             D                    G      D    Em 
Till they've taken your money for rotgut booze 
         C 
And your head hits the ground 
        D                           G        D   Em 
And the world's spinning round in a game you lose  
        Am 
And you cry out the pain 
        D                    G      D    Em 
But you shell out again for another glass  
        F#7 
And you pray that the morning will come 
                     B             B7 
And the ache in your head will pass  


Em  C D (X4)  

verse 4 
 
   Em                     C 
My salt sailor days are a haze  
          D            Em            C D 
There's a red light to show the way  
            Em 
When you're battered and bruised  
       C        D                 Em         C D 
You forget who abused you, that's yesterday  
C                       D  
Here on the land with a glass in my hand  
     B7           Em 
If a wish were mine  
       Am                     D 
I'd be back on a ship and I'd take me a trip  
       Em 
To the good old time 
 

[Refrão]

          Am 
Where the bars never close 
             D                    G      D    Em 
Till they've taken your money for rotgut booze 
         C 
And your head hits the ground 
        D                           G        D   Em 
And the world's spinning round in a game you lose  
        Am 
And you cry out the pain 
        D                    G      D    Em 
But you shell out again for another glass  
        F#7 
And you pray that the morning will come 
                     B             B7 
And the ache in your head will pass  
         Em 
For when we were in dock 
     C               D            Em 
We'd flock where the whores go in Rotterdam, in Rotterdam, in Rotterdam