Tom T. Hall - Salute to a switchblade

^CMe and Yates an army buddy of mine Were ^Fdoing three years in ^G7Germany at the ^Ctime

^CWe came upon these Frauleins in the bar Yates said ^Fdarf isch zee be-^G7gleit-en they said ^Cya

And ^G7darf isch zee be-gleit-en means ^Ccan we sit with you all

^COh we must have drunk ten quarts of German beer My ^Fconscience and my ^G7sinuses were ^Cclear

^CI asked that Fraulein if she was a spy She said ^Fnein but do ^G7bis ain bissel ^Chigh

A con^G7dition not uncommon to the ^CAmerican soldier

^CWell later on I went to be excused When ^FI returned I ^G7was a bit con^Cfused

^CYates and his Fraulein had hit the air Another ^Fguy was ^G7sitting in my ^Cchair

A ^G7young soldier whom we shall ^Cget to know better

^CI said excuse me Mister that's my seat I'd ^Flike to have it ^G7back sir if you ^Cplease

^CThat girl's a nurse and I've been awful sick The ^Fman looked up at ^G7me and said ^Cmox-nix

Which ^G7means that he was not overly con^Ccerned with my health

^CNext thing I knew he had a switchblade knife Lord ^FI didn't know that ^G7Fraulein was his ^Cwife

^CI took off through that Gasthaus like a fool Behind ^Fme I heard ^G7the crashing ^Cstools

As the ^G7police would say ^Che was in hot pursuit

^CWell the waitress yelled there's MPs on the way That's ^Fone more reason ^G7I didn't want to ^Cstay

^CAs I went out the window something went swish And I ^Fgiggled all the ^G7way home knowing he ^Cmissed

At ^G7the time it seemed like a ^Claughing matter

^CBut next morning my coat was lying there on the bunk And ^Fwhen I saw that ^G7coat it made me ^Cjump

^CThat man had cut my coat right down the back A ^Flittle bit more and ^G7they'd been playing me ^Ctaps

And ^G7knowing the sad nature of that ^Csong I would decline it

^CWell later on I heard that guy got stabbed They ^Fsent him home and ^G7didn't that make me ^Cglad

^COn love and marriage I want to say one thing Oh ^Flady if you're ^G7married wear that ^Cring

And the ^G7army has a new policy ^Cif you can't move it paint it ^CIf it has a switchblade knife ^G7salute it

^CNot necessarily an incident one would want to write Mother about ^G7Germany being full of good ^Csoldiers good people