Pirates Chords
by David Byrne
Pirates by David Byrne is a more advanced guitar song played in the key of C. It uses the chords C, Cm, A#m, G, Am, E, Em, Bm, B and D. Use the transpose and diagram tools on this page to change the key, see each shape, or simplify the chords.
C Cm
A distant car, a quiet night
A#m C G
Like starin' at the ceiling
C Cm
My sleepy eyes, you smell so nice
A#m C G
It's such a funny feeling
Am E
Got no idea, what time it is
Am A#m E
Delightfully confusing
Am A#m
The trees outside, the morning light
C E C
Arrives, like pirates on parade
C E C
Surprise, it's pirates on parade
A ray of light, between the blinds
I lie there in a stupor
I hear a thud, and then a flush
Guess it must be the neighbors
I blink my eyes, I laugh inside
Imagine what they're saying
I see your shape and through the night
Here come, those pirates on parade
Ahoy, it's pirates on parade
Em
Through the rough and stormy weather
Bm
On a search for buried treasure
B Em
There's an island to explore
Em
Ev'ry wave that whispers softly
Bm
"Stay in bed, 'cause it's still early"
B Em
Dolphins frolic by the shore
C G C G D
And the phone never rings when the pirates are singing
Well there's 16 men on a dead man's chest
In this hallucination
The map we got, x marks the spot
We're following directions
The 7 seas, the balmy breeze
The pleasure of surrender
The end is nigh, the sun is high
It's late, for pirates on parade
Too late, for pirates on parade
Traffic noises down below me
A helicopter circles slowly
Monsters sink into the deep
Mountainous and downy billows
Float among those fluffy pillows
Maybe I'll go back to sleep
And the phone never rings when the pirates are singing
This wicked life
So what's in store behind that velvet curtain?
The night is gone
And the day is here
The stupid sun is shinin'
The moon reflects
Your hair's a mess
It's lovely imperfections
My crew and I
The clear blue skies
Sail on, with pirates on parade
Sail on, you pirates on parade
C E C
Yo, Yo, Yo
C E C
Yo, Yo, Yo...