Ray Stevens - Ahab, The Arab Chords

Ahab the Arab--Ray Stevens
written by Ray Stevens

In this day of political correctness, this song might offend some people; I still just
think it's one hell of a funny song.   But that's just me.

I have done my best to phonetically spell out the chants and such.   Um...don't take
my word as the gospel truth.   There aren't too many vowels in what he says...

INTRO: Am  F (3x)  C

N/C                   C
Let me tell you 'bout Ahab, the Arab
    F                    C
The sheik of the burnin sand
        C    
He had emeralds and rubies just drippon offa him
       F                          G
And a ring on every finger of his hand
          C 
He wore a big ol' turban, wrapped around his head
       F               Am    C
And a scimitar by his side, and
N/C
Every evenin, about midnight, he'd jump on his camel named Clyde

And ride

(Spoken)
Am    (alternate between Am and F on the chant)
Silently through the night to the sulten's tent where he would secretly meet up
with Fatima of the Seven Veils, swingingest grade "A" number one US choice dancer
in the Sultan's whole harem, 'cause, hehe, him and her had a thing goin on, you know,
and they'd been secretly carryin' on for some time now behind the Sultan's back
And you could hear him talk to his camle as he rode out across the dunes, hsi voice
would cut through the still night desert air and he'd say:
Oyyyya bibibia bibibia bibia bibia aaaaaaaaa oohhh aaaaa ooooh ayaaaa ayaaaaa 
ayyaaa aaa oooh aaayaaa twennya myesh mya   ayyyiii aayyyyya ooohhh  aaiiii
Sold! American!
Which is Arabic for "Stop, Clyde!" And Clyde'd say:
Bleeeaah bleeeaah!  Which is camel for "What the heck did he say anyway"

        C
Well he brought that camel to a screeching halt 
F                                        C
(eeeeeerrrrrh!) in the rear of Fatima's tent
                            
Jumped off Clyde, snuck around the corner
    F                G
And into the tent he went
C                    F                     Am   C
There he saw Fatima, layin on a zebra skin rug, with
N/C
(Rings on her fingers and bells on her toes and a bone in her nose ho ho)

(Spoken)
Am (alternate between Am and F on the chant)
(laugh) There she was friends, lyin there in all her radiant beauty, eatin on a 
raisen, grape, apricot, pomegranate, bowl of chittlin's, two bananas, three Hershey 
bars, sippin on a RC cola listenin to her transistor, watchin the Grand Ol' Opry on 
the tube, readin a Mad Magazine while she sung "Does Your Chewin Gum Lose Its Flavor"  
Yeah, Ahab walked right up to her and he say:
Oyya bibibia bibibia ayyyya ayyyyyyyaaaaa (about four or five times) ehhhhhh
ehhhhaaaa ehhhhaaaa
Which is Arabic for "Let's twist again like we did last summer baby"
Ha ha ha!   You know what I mean   Whew!   She looked up at him from off the rug,
give him one of them sly looks, she said:
ooooh, hehuuuu, hehuuhuuhuuuhuu, hihuuhuuhuuhuu, haahaahuuhahuuhahahuuhuuhuu
Oooh, ooooh, Crazy, crazy cracy baby!
  C
('Round and around and around and around and around and around and around)

                             C
Yeah, that's the story 'bout Ahab, the Arab
    F                    C
The sheik of the burnin sand
Am         C          Am          C     F-Am-C
Ahab, the Arab, the sheik of the burnin sand