Creeque Alley

(John Phillips / Michelle Gilliam)

(12-string [4X; drums and bass enter 4th time]):

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Verse 1:

John and Mitchie were gettin' kind of itchy

Just to leave the folk music behind

Zal and Denny workin' for a penny

Tryin' to get a fish on the line

In a coffee house Sebastian sat

And after every number they'd pass the hat

McGuinn and McGuire just a-gettin' higher

In L.A., you know where that's at

And no one's gettin' fat except Mama Cass

Verse 2:

Zally said "Denny, you know there aren't many

Who can sing a song the way that you do, let's go south"

Denny said "Zally, golly, don't you think that I wish

I could play guitar like you"

Zal, Denny and Sebastian sat (at the Night Owl)

And after every number they'd pass the hat

McGuinn and McGuire still a-gettin higher

In L.A., you know where that's at

And no one's gettin' fat except Mama Cass

Verse 3:

When Cass was a sophomore, planned to go to Swarthmore

But she changed her mind one day

Standin' on the turnpike, thumb out to hitchhike

"Take me to New York right away"

When Denny met Cass he gave her love bumps

Called John and Zal and that was the Mugwumps

McGuinn and McGuire couldn't get no higher

But that's what they were aimin' at

And no one's gettin' fat except Mama Cass

Verse 4:

Mugwumps, high jumps, slow slumps, big bumps

Don't you work as hard as you play

Make up, break up, everything is shake up

Guess it had to be that way

Sebastian and Zal formed the Spoonful

Michelle, John, and Denny gettin' very tuneful

McGuinn and McGuire just a-catchin' fire

In L.A., you know where that's at

And everybody's gettin' fat except Mama Cass

Instrumental break:

(flute solo over verse chords [might be edited on 45])

Verse 5:

Broke, busted, disgusted, agents can't be trusted

And Mitchie wants to go to the sea

Cass can't make it, she says we'll have to fake it

We knew she'd come eventually

Greasin' on American Express cards

Tent's low rent, but keeping out the heat's hard

Duffy's good vibrations and our imaginations

Can't go on indefinitely

And California dreamin' is becomin' a reality

Coda:

(flute solo):

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-- another ace 60's tab from Andrew Rogers