[Intro]
D
[Verse]
G D
My granddad used to tell me, "Boy, when I was just your age
Em A
I was a river pilot on a showboat called The Stage
D G D
I'd hobnob with them southern belles and every roustabout
Em A D
I'd listen to them paddle wheels and hear the leadsman shout"
[Chorus]
D
Mark Twain, (Mark Twain) it's two fathoms deep below
Em A Em
Mark Twain, (Mark Twain) heave the gangplank, start the show
D G D
Mark Twain, play those banjos as we go
Bm F#m Em A D G A D G A D
Down the Mississippi, 'round the Gulf of Mexico
[Verse]
G D
There were gamblers, crooks and fakers and a minstrel man who'd dance
Em A
A singin' gal, Simone Lamour, imported straight from France
D G D
It was a floatin' palace, boy, that showboat called The Stage
Em A D
And granddad was the king of it, when he was just my age
[Chorus]
D
Mark Twain, (Mark Twain) it's two fathoms deep below
Em A Em
Mark Twain, (Mark Twain) heave the gangplank, start the show
D G D
Mark Twain, play those banjos as we go
Bm F#m Em A D
Down the Mississippi, 'round the Gulf of Mexico
[Instrumental
D G A D
D G A D
D G A D
D G A D
[Verse]
G D
The calliope is quiet now, the rudder's thick with rust
Em A
The main deck and the paddlewheels are covered high with dust
D G D
But granddad's in his glory, still standin' on the bow
Em A D
A halo 'round his pilot's cap and I can hear him now
[Chorus]
D
Mark Twain, (Mark Twain) it's two fathoms deep below
Em A Em
Mark Twain, (Mark Twain) heave the gangplank, start the show
D G D
Mark Twain, play those banjos as we go
Bm F#m Em A D
Down the Mississippi, 'round the Gulf of Mexico
[Chorus]
D
Mark Twain, it's two fathoms deep below
Em
Mark Twain, heave the gangplank, start the show
D G D
Mark Twain, play those banjos as we go
Bm F#m Em A D
Down the Mississippi, 'round the Gulf of Mexico