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  1. Raise A Glass

From the recording Raise A Glass

Performed by the Shark Alley Hobos
Words and music by Chris Franklin
Cover art by Smokey Joe
Recorded and mixed by Dave Bell at Bellboy Recording Studio, Richmond, CA
El Che Records 2022

The Shark Alley Hobos are:
Squinty Brown
One Eyed Jack
Dumpstah Dave
Jackson
Santa Diamond
Shameless Seamus
Johnny Bongo

Lyrics

Raise a Glass

Raise a glass for the captain
Raise a whiskey, raise a beer
We’ll raise a glass and wipe our ass
And push off from the pier
We’ll drink and drink and drink until
We’re all too drunk to steer
And toast our dear old captain
How we wish that he were here

The captain was a minstrel
A stirring balladeer
The captain played for pennies
Played for whiskey, played for beer
He played such lovely music
To delight the sourest ear
And the ladies’ hearts, he kept them
Like so many souvenirs

But the captain had a bride
A woman so severe
She frowned upon his singing,
Drinking whiskey, drinking beer
Until one night he’d had his fill
Of her poison atmosphere
He dropped his pants and loosed his lance
And pissed in her brassiere

Raise a glass for the captain
Raise a whiskey, raise a beer
We’ll raise a glass and wipe our ass
And push off from the pier
We’ll drink and drink and drink until
We’re all too drunk to steer
And toast our dear old captain
How we wish that he were here

Then the captain needed something
To restore him to good cheer
So he huddled with his brother
Drinking whiskey, drinking beer
And slow they raised the banner
And we came from far and near
And so we all obeyed the call
As the captain’s privateers

So he placed his hat upon his head
With a daisy boutonniere
And the captain led the charge
Drinking whiskey, drinking beer
We fell in line behind him
We packed up all our gear
And we followed our bold captain
Through every hemisphere

Raise a glass for the captain
Raise a whiskey, raise a beer
We’ll raise a glass and wipe our ass
And push off from the pier
We’ll drink and drink and drink until
We’re all too drunk to steer
And toast our dear old captain
How we wish that he were here

But the captain’s days were numbered
The horizon wasn’t clear
Yet the captain kept on singing
Drinking whiskey, drinking beer
And so we sang ‘longside him
Till we shook the chandeliers
And we stood with our dear captain
As his Hobo buccaneers

He left us in October
It’s been nearly seven years
And we’re all left broken hearted
To cry an ocean’s worth of tears
But there’s comfort in the knowing
That he’s always somewhere near
Playing guitar, singing songs
Drinking whiskey, drinking beer

Raise a glass for the captain
Raise a whiskey, raise a beer
We’ll raise a glass and wipe our ass
And push off from the pier
We’ll drink and drink and drink until
We’re all too drunk to steer
And toast our dear old captain
How we wish that he were here