Dave Van Ronk

Talking Cancer Blues

Dave Van Ronk


Tom: G

G                               C    
I was sitting in the back yard sucking on a Good Humor
D        
Along comes a Doc, says my wife has a tumor
                        G     C     D        
And it was malignant

[Verse 2]
        G           C    
Now the AMA and the medical highers
     D     
They don't agree with Liggette & Meyers
        G                                        C
They say smoking is bad for you, it'll give you cancer
 D                           G
          Hell of a cough, too

[Verse 3]
                G                            C    
Well, there is cancer of the liver; there is cancer of the lung
D        
Cancer of the lip, the throat, the tongue
       G                                 C
There's 17 malignant tumors in one filter tip king size
        D        
   Now light up

[Verse 4]
        G                             C    
Well, a cigarette was needed that was relatively clean
          D        
They come out with filters, low tars & nicotine
               G                           C
(Pretty low on sales, too!)      All that research gone to waste
       D                            G    
No harmful ingredient, no cigarette taste

[Verse 5]
                            C
Well, the companies panicked, they had to find an answer
        D                                                       G
They increased the tobacco strain and everybody's getting cancer
                               C         
Look what I got free with these cigarette coupons
 D        
   A chest X-ray

[Verse 6]
           G                  C
Well, the hashish interest in Mexico
    D    
Has found a way to redouble their dough
           G
They got a weed!
       C
Has no tar, so they say
      D        
Let's all get the habit,            marijuana's here to stay
G                               C                       D    
So if you want a treat and you don't mind the treatment
      G      C    
Smoke pot!
        D                   G      C     D     G    
It's the thinking man's cigarette!