Far Side of the World by Jimmy Buffett
[Verse 1]
D G
Ramadan is over, the new moon's shown her face,
A G A D
I'm half way around the planet in a most unlikely place.
D G
Following my song line past bamboo shacks and shops,
A G A D
Behind a jitney packed like sardines, with bananas piled on top.
[Verse 2]
D G
I ran away from politics, it's too bizarre at home,
A G A D
Away I flew, tuned in to Blue, maybe Amsterdam or Rome.
D G
Awakened by a stewardess, with Spain somewhere below,
A G A D
On the threshold of adventure, God I do love this job so.
[Bridge]
D G D A D
So while I make my move, on the big board game,
G D A D
Up and down a Spanish highway, some things remain the same.
G D A Bm
Girls meet boys and boys tease girls,
G D G A D
I'm headin' out this morning for the far side of the world.
[Verse 3]
D G
Oh I believe in song lines, obvious and not,
A G A D
I've ridden them like camels, to some most peculiar spots.
D G
They run across the oceans, through mountains and saloons,
A G A D
And tonight out to the desert, where I sit atop this dune.
[Verse 4]
D G
I was destined for this vantage point, which is so far from the sea,
A G A D
I've lived it in the pages of Saint-Exupery.
D G
From Paris to Tunisia, Casablanca to Dakar,
A G A D
I was riding long before I flew, through the wind and sand and stars.
[Bridge]
G D A D
Caravan, ride that hump,
G D A D
Timbuktu's a jillion bumps.
G D A Bm
Sleeping bags and battle flags are coiled and furled,
G D G A D
That's the way you travel to the far side of the world.
[Verse 5]
D G
A sunset framed by lightning bolts burns a lasting memory,
A G A D
And a string of tiny twinkling lights adorn the sausage tree.
D G
While the embers from the log fire flicker, fly, and twirl,
A G A D
Then drift off toward the cosmos, from the far side of the world.
[Verse 6]
D G
Well it's Christmas and my birthday, and so to that extent,
A G A D
The Masai, not the wise men, are circling my tent.
D G
I teach them how to play guitar, they show me how to dance,
A G A D
We have rum from the Caribbean, and Burgundy from France.
[Verse 7]
D G
New Year's Eve in Zanzibar, with Babu and his boys,
A G A D
High up on the rooftop, you can relish all the noise.
D G
They're dancing on the tables, people bouncing like gazelles,
A G A D
Two oh oh one is ushered in with air-raid horns and bells.
[Bridge]
G D A D
Time to sing, time to dance,
G D A D
Living out my second chance.
G D A Bm
Cobras and sleeping bags are coiled and curled,
G D G A D
That's the way it happens on the far side of the world.
[Verse 8]
D G
Back at home, it's afternoon six thousand miles away,
A G A D
It will still be there when I get through attending this soiree.
D G
There are jobs and chores and questions, and plates I need to twirl,
A G A D
But tonight I'll take my chances on the far side of the world.
G D G A D
Yes, that's the way it happens on the far side of the world.