Bm ...
Bm C# D B
That Mr McArthur's looked all over town,
G F#m G F#7
But he won't find me now for I'm off coastward bound.
Bm C# D B
And I'm trading the smog for some fresh salt sea air
G F#7 Bm....
And he'll never catch on that I'm there.
Bm C# D B
I once was his apprentice, in the clock-making trade,
G F#m G F#7
And the miser made me work for every penny of my wage.
Bm C# D B
Til he found he could replace me with a clockwork machine,
And he threw me right out on the street.
G Em
I'm not the kind who would grovel and pray
F#add4 E
That he deign to recant and permit to stay,
G/D F#madd4 Bm
So I cursed him and left and I solemnly swore that he'd pay.
Bm C# D B
Now Mr McArthur has very poor eyes,
G F#m G F#7
And he never did see me when he left work at night.
Bm C# D B
And once in a while he would forget to check
G F#7 Bm....
That his workshop back window was closed.
Bm C# D B
No I'm not a burglar and I'm no vandal nor.
G F#m G F#7
The old man had to suffer, but I wanted something more:
Bm C# D B
I wanted him to feel it and know it was me,
And I knew that his clocks were the key.
G Em
I sat in his workshop, my thoughts running wild,
F#add4 E
Then it suddenly hit me, and I looked up and I smiled
G/D F#madd4 Bm Em Bm Em
For I knew that I'd have him and I knew that I'd do it in style.
G7....
Bm C# D B
I tell you that clockwork's a powerful thing;
G F#m G F#7
There's a terrible strength in those tightly wound springs.
Bm C# D B
And a gentleman's pocketwatch stays by his heart,
G F#7 Bm....
And that's where the damage can start.
Bm C# D B
Now I'm no machine but I can work when I choose,
G F#m G F#7
With hands good as any when I've something to prove.
Bm C# D B
So I stayed up all night among cogs, springs and screws,
G F#7 Bm....
And I didn't stop till I was through.
G Em
I rigged up a watch to do more than just chime ,
F#add4 E
And I didn't baulk once at the depth of my crime -
G/D F#madd4 Bm Em Bm Em
A most perfect invention that still kept impeccable time.
G7....
Bm....
G7....
Bm....
G7....
Bm C# D B
The next week a young man stopped by in the shop,
G F#m G F#7
Took a shine to a timepiece and paid on the spot.
Bm C# D B
He wound it, and wore it, and at 6 on the dot
G F# F#7 Bm
He came to a messy and permanent stop.
Bm C# D B
Now Mr McArthur's got blood on his hands,
G F#m G F#7
And he barely made bail, he's a ruined man,
Bm C# D B
And surely he knows who his downfall was planned by,
G F#7 Bm
It's all worked out like clockwork.
