Criminology - Tom Russell

I had a gun pointed at my head on several occasions, Yeah Nadine I was scared

Something about a black man with a machine gun make you wish you said your

prayers

It was Nigeria, the year was 1969

I was teaching criminology

Playing a little guitar on the side

In Apache Pass, Prince Rupert, Injun Jack puts a gun to my head

He said ‘how do you like it now gentlemen?

How’s your blue eyed boy Mr Dead?

It was Canada this time, the year was 1971

I was performing at the club Zanzibar

In the neon world of knives and guns

Oh excuse me if I’m boring you dear listener, accept my humble apology

You may think I’m just a folk singer, no, I’m a master in the art of criminology

When Picasso died, the Indians cried in a Prince George motel room

We were drunker than a thousand white men playing lumber camp saloon

It was Canada again, the year was 1973

There were grizzly bears walking down main street

What an amazing sight to see

Well the devil rides a cubist horse, the devil he’s got angles

But God is an expressionist, he got the devil strangled down in purgatorian

limbo in hell

Ahh them southern rip joints just like that

God’s waiting room is full of painters and poets

And old black jazz saints in pork pie hats

Oh excuse me if I’m boring you dear listener, accept my humble apology

You may think I’m some jive folk singer, no, I’m a master in the art of

criminology

Break

So I got off a plane in Nigeria, it was 1969. Arrested by Ton Ton Macoute

Taking photos was a war zone crime, they were going to hack me up with machetes

A US ambassador come home paid my bribe

So I played guitar with Victor Uwaifo

And taught a little criminology on the side

Yeah that’s my story and I’m sticking to it

No regrets, no surrender, no apology

I know a little bit about a lot of things

I’m a master in the art of criminology

Yeah that’s my story and I’m sticking to it

No regrets, no surrender, no apology

I know a little bit about a lot of things

I’m a master in the art of criminology

No regrets, no surrender, no apology

I know a little bit about a lot of things

I’m a master in the art of criminology

Criminology

Criminology

Criminology