Tom T. Hall - Salute To A Switchblade lyrics
[Tom T. Hall - Salute To A Switchblade lyrics]
Were doin' three years in
Germany at the time
We came upon these Frauleins in the bar
Yates said, "Darf isch zee be-gleit-en?"
They said "Ya"
And 'Darf isch zee be-gleit-en means?'
'Can we sit with you all?'
Oh we must have drunk ten
Quarts of German beer
My conscience and my sinuses were clear
I asked that Fraulein if she was a spy
She said, "Nein but do bis ain bissel high"
A condition not uncommon to
The American soldier
Well, later on I went to be excused
When I returned I was a bit confused
Yates and his Fraulein had hit the air
Another guy was sittin' in my chair
A young soldier whom we shall
Get to know better
I said, "Excuse me mister that's my seat
I'd like to have it back sir if you please
That girl's a nurse and
I've been awful sick"
The man looked up at me and said, "Mox-nix"
Which means that he was not
Overly concerned with my health
Next thing I knew he had a switchblade knife
Oh Lord
I didn't know that Fraulein was his wife
I took off through that Gasthaus like a fool
Behind me I heard the crashing stools
As the police would say
He was in hot pursuit
Well, the waitress yelled there's
MPs on the way that's one more reason I
Didn't want to stay as I went out the
Window somethin' went switch
And I giggled all the way
Home knowin' he missed
At the time it seemed like a laughing matter
But next morning my coat was
Lyin' there on the bunk
And when I saw that coat it made me jump
That man had cut my coat right down the back
A little bit more and they'd
Been playin' me taps
And knowin' the sad nature of that
Song I would decline it
Well, later on I heard that guy got stabbed
They sent him home and didn't
That make me glad
On love and marriage I want to say one thing
Oh lady, if you're married wear that ring
And the army has a new policy
If you can't move it, paint it
If it has a switchblade knife, salute it
Not necessarily an incident one would
Want to write mother about
Germany being full of good
Soldiers and good people