Bad Rats

 

Written by John Stewart

 

'Bad Rats' is on “Neon Beach Live 1990”, Homecoming Records, published in Europe by Line Records (91), and on “Bullets in the Hourglass”,  Shanachie (92).  Both times in the key of Bm.  I play it in Am, so capo 2nd fret.  There´s a hypnotic bass run (bass played by Dave “Dave” Batti) in the Am-D sections:  Am (bass run:A-B-C-A, what you hear, due to capo 2nd, is, of course, B-C#-D-B) D (D bass) and so on.  The version below follows John´s playing on “Bullets”.

 

 

Capo 2nd fret

 

(Am) (D) (Am) (D) (Am) (D)
(Am)Good rats all have wheels,
(D)Good rats all have names.
(Am)Good rats all can feel,
(D)Good rats are the same.
(F)Good rats all have (G)friends,
(C)Good rats (C/B)all can (Am)eat.
(F)Good rats all get (G)papers
To pro(D)tect their little (G)feet.
Song about the (Am)good rats. (D) (Am) (D)

(Am)Bad rats have no names,
(D)Bad rats have disease.
(Am)Bad rats are the same,

(D)Bad rats all must leave.

(F)Bad rats have no (G)friends,
(C)Bad rats (C/B)die a(Am)lone.
(F)Let’s all kill the (G)bad rats,
(D)Pass around the (G)stone
Song about (Am)bad rats. (D)
Yeah, a song about the (Am)bad rats. (D)
Yeah, a song about the (Am)bad rats. (D) (Am) (G)

There ain’t no (C)way, you know,
(G)Of telling who’s a (Am)bad rat.
There ain’t no (C)way, you know,
(G)Of telling who’s a (Am)bad rat.
There ain’t no (C)way that I know
(G)Of telling who’s a (Am)bad rat. (D)

Ain´t no (Am)way I know, (D)

Well, there ain´t no (Am)way I know, (D)

There ain´t no (Am)way, you know,

Of telling who´s a (D)bad rat. (Am)(hold) (D)(hold) (Am)(hold)

(D)(hold) (Am)(hold) (D)(hold) (Am)(hold) (D)(hold) (Am)(hold) (D)(hold)

Ain´t no (Am)way I know,

Ain´t no (D)way I know,

Ain´t no (Am)way I know

Of telling who´s a (D)bad rat,

Of telling who´s a (Am)bad rat,

Of telling who´s a (D)bad rat. (Am) (D)

(Am)Look at all them Asian people,
(D)Glad they aren’t like me.
(Am)Look at all them inner city people,
(D)Glad they’re not like me
(Am)Look at all those homeless people,
(D)Glad they’re not like me.

Song about the (Am)bad(hold) (Am)rats.(hold)

 

© John Stewart, All Rights Reserved

 

janhauenstein@gmx.de