Andrew Lloyd Webber – Skimbleshanks The Railway Cat chords

SONG: Skimbleshanks: The Railway Cat
ARTIST: Andrew Lloyd Webber

From the musical, Cats

Intro:

E    C#m/E    F#m7/E    B/E   
E    C#m/E    F#m7/E    B/E   


E  C#m/E  F#m7/E  B/E   Skimbleshanks the 
E  C#m/E  F#m7/E    B/E   Railway Cat, 
    E          B7/E  F#m/E   the Cat of the Railway 
E    C#m/E    F#m7/E    B/E   Train
          E                B/D#     C#m          E/B  There's a whisper down the line at eleven thirty nine
         A            D/A   A    EWhen the Night Mail's ready to depart
         F#m/E             B7/E  Saying, "Skimble, where is Skimble?
       E+2              E/B  Has he gone to hunt the thimble?
        G#m             A     A/B   EWe must find him or the train can't start"


        E                  B/D#  All the guards and all the porters
        C#m              E/B  And the station master's daughters
         A         D/A  A   A/E   E   Would be searching high and low
        F#m              B7/E          E+2/B          E/B  Saying "Skimble where is Skimble for unless he's very nimble
         G#m        A    A/B   EThen the night mail just can't go."

    E                        G/E        F#m/E  At eleven forty two with the signal overdue
        E              G/E          F#m/E   E  And the passengers all frantic to a man
       A              E/G#         F#m11          E/G#  That's when I would appear and I'd saunter to the rear
         A           E/G#    F#m11I'd been busy in the luggage van!

B7


        E        B/D#         C#m         E/B  Then he gave one flash of his glass green eyes
        A      D/A   A   A/E   E  And the signal went "All Clear!"
          F#m/E  B7/E         E+2/B    E/B         G#m      A  A/B    They'd be off at last for the northern part of the Northern Hemi 

 E   C#m/E  F#m7/E   {sphere
{Skimbleshanks 
B/E  E  C#m/E   the Railway 
F#m7/E    B/E   Cat
    E          B/E  A/E  E    C#m/E    F#m7/E   The Cat of the Railway Train
B/E       E               B/D#         C#m           E/B  You could say that by and large it was me who was in charge
       A        D/A    Of the Sleeping Car 
A  E              F#m/E          B7/E          E+2/B          E/B  Express, from the driver and the guards to the bagmen playing cards
        G#m            A   A/B     EI would supervise them all more or less


         E           B/D#        C#m            E/B  Down the corridor he paces and examines all the faces
       A                 D/A  A        A/E   E  Of the travellers in the first and the third
      F#m/E       B7/E      E+2/B     E/B  He establishes control by a regular patrol
         G#m             A  A/B      EAnd he'd know at once if anything occurred

         E                                G/E      A7/E     F#m/E  He would watch you without winking and he saw what you were thinking
         R       A7/E    G/E       F#m/E    A7/E    E   And it's certain that he didn't approve
     A          E/G#        F#m            E/G#  Of hilarity and riot so the folk were very quiet
     A            E/G#            F#m11When Skimble was about and on the move

B7

          E       B/D#        C#m    E/B  You could play no pranks with Skimbleshanks!
       A        D/A      A   A/E   E  He's a cat that cannot be ignored
   F#m/E        B7/E         E+2/B    E/B   So nothing went wrong on the Northern Mail
     G#m    A      A/B  E6When Skimbleshanks was aboard

E6


E           Bm7                  E                  Bm7  It was very pleasant when they'd found their little den
           E            Bm7With their name written up on the door. 
Woo! Woo!

        E              Bm7And the berth was very neat with a newly folded sheet
And not a speck of dust upon the floor

          E             Bm7There was every sort of light
You could make it dark or bright
And a button you could turn to make a breeze
Woo! Woo!

      E            Bm7And a funny little basin you're supposed to wash your face in
And a crank to shut the window should you sneeze


         A               D                  G            E  Then the guard looked in politely and would ask you very brightly,
        A                             E"Do you like your morning tea weak or strong?"
    A            E/G#             F#m7       E/G#  But I was just behind him and was ready to remind him
    A                 E/G#        F#m7 (2 bars)For Skimble won't let anything go wrong


          E       B/D#     C#m  E/B        A             D/A  A  A/E   E  When they crept into their cosy berths and pulled up the counterpane
     A/B         B7                  Esus2/B  E/B  They all could reflect that it was very nice
   A/B            B7          Esus2/B         E/B  To know that they wouldn't be bothered by mice
           A/B       B7              Esus2/B  E  They could leave all that to the Railway Cat
    G#m        A   A/B  EThe Cat of the Railway Train


F   Dm/F  Gm7/F   Skimbleshanks 
C/F  F  Dm/F   the Railway 
Gm7/F    C/F   Cat
    F          C7/F  Gm/F   The Cat of the Railway 
F    Dm/F    Gm7/F    C/F   Train
       F              C/E         Dm               F/C  In the watches of the night I was always fresh and bright
      A#               D#/A#  A#     FEvery now and then I'd have a cup of tea
        Gm/F           C7/F               F+2            F  With perhaps a drop of scotch while I was keeping on the watch
     Am                A#       A#/C    FOnly stopping here and there to catch a flea


          F              C/E       Dm            F/C  They were fast asleep at Crewe and so they never knew
           A#      D#/A#  A#       FThat I was walking up and down the station
          Gm/F             C7/F        Fsus2       F  They were sleeping all the while I was busy at Carlisle
        Am              A#     A#/C  FWhere I met the station master with elation

           F                       G#/F           Gm7/F  They might see me at Dumfries if I summoned the police
             F             G#/F           Gm/F   F  If there was anything they ought to know about
          A#           F/A             Gm7             F/A  When they got to Gallowgate there they did not have to wait
    A#                  F/A              Gm7/11For Skimbleshanks would help them to get out!

C7


C13  C7  And he 
F           C/E         Dm         F/C  gives you a wave of his long brown tail
      A#                  FWhich says "I'll see you again!
       Gm/F         C7/F        Fsus2    F  You'll meet without fail on the Midnight Mail
    Am7        A#  A#/C  FThe Cat of the Railway Train!"

F   C/E   Dm   F/C   A#
F
Gm/F   C7/F   F


    Am7        A#  A#/C  F (2 bars)The Cat of the Railway Train