Tom Paxton - I Thought You Were an A-Rab lyrics

Spoken "We had a terrific political scandal at home a couple years ago. How would you feel if you'd been going along for months, just slick as you please, collecting all this money and tossing it blindly into the corner of a closet or something and whistling through life with the world by the tail, and you come down for breakfast some morning, look on page one of the paper, and there...is you. Picture's a little grainy, of course, because they took it through the Modigliony print on the wall of the hotel room, but it's you and you're shaking hands with the guy and you got the money in the other hand and a big smile on you face. I think that would tend to take the edge off even a pretty good day, don't you? I think bitterness would set right in." I thought you just got off the plane Desert sand still in your shoes When the sand was probably Virginia Beach And you were from Newport News. I thought you were an A-Rab I saw the desert in your eyes I thought of asking for a job in Abu Dabi 'Til you sprang the big surprise You handed me the money Just like a real A-Rab does And so I thought you were an A-Rab When all the time you were the fuzz I thought you were an A-Rab A desert Caliph or a sheik I thought I'd be a friend in Congress You'd be grateful what a terrible mistake You handed me the money And that was all I saw And so I thought you were an A-Rab When all the time you were the law Abdul was kind of obvious Now that I've time to think it through The way you spoke American without an accent Sure reflected well on you When you handed me the briefcase filled with cash I accepted with a wink You can catch in on the evening news you rat Now I'm headed for the clink I though you were an A-Rab When you were really apple pie You had a little shopping list of Congressmen And prominent upon the list was I I smiled for the camera I couldn't see it from my seat And so I thought you were an A-Rab When all the time you were the heat You were Lawrence of the F.B.I. You really played it to the hilt There'll be no mercy by in Jersey When you tell 'em how the fatal mink was spilt I thought you were kings of the fabled East All you really were was bums I got caught with my hand in the cookie jar And my hand was filled with crumbs I thought you were an A-Rab I saw the desert in your eyes I thought of asking for a job in Abu Dabi 'Til you sprang the big surprise You handed me the money Just like a real A-Rab does And so I thought you were an A-Rab When all the time you were the fuzz I thought you were an A-Rab And all the time you were the fuzz