Standard (EADGBE)
Intro
Verse 1
The Great Nations of Europe,
Had gathered on the shore.
They'd conquered what was be-hind them,
And now they wanted more.
So they looked to the mighty ocean,
And took to the Western Sea.
The great Nations of Europe, in the 16th centu-ry.
Chorus 1
Hide your wives and daughters, hide the groceries too.
The great Nations of Europe comin' through.
Interlude
Verse 2
The Grand Ca-nary Islands,
First land to which they came.
They slaughtered all the ca-naries there,
Which gave the land its name.
There were natives there, called Guanches,
Guanches by the score.
Bullet's, di-sease, the Portugese;
They weren't there any-more.
Bridge 1
Now they're gone, they're gone, they're really gone.
You've never seen any-one so gone.
There's pictures in a mu-seum, some lines written in a book.
But you won't find a live one, no matter where you look.
Chorus 2
Hide your wives and daughters, hide the groceries too.
The great Nations of Europe comin' through.
Interlude
Break
Co-lumbus sailed for India; found Salvidor in-stead.
He shook hands with some Indians, and soon they all were dead.
They got TB and Typhoid and athletes foot, dip-theria and the flu;
'Scuse me; great nations comin' through.
Interlude
Break 2
Bal-boa found the Pa-cific, and on the trail one day,
He met some friendly Indians, whom he was told were gay. So...
He had them torn a-part by dogs, on re-ligious grounds they say;
The great Nations of Europe, were quite holy in their way.
Bridge 2
Now they're gone, they're gone, they're really gone.
You've never seen any-one so gone.
Some bones hidden in a canyon, some paintings in a cave.
There's no use tryin' to save them; there's nothin' left to save.
Chorus 3
Hide your wives and daughters, hide your sons as well;
With the great Nations of Europe, you never can tell.
Interlude
Verse 3
Where you and I are standing,
At the end of a centu-ry;
Europe's have sprung up everywhere, as even I can see.
But there on the ho-rizon, is the possi-bili-ty,
That some bug from out of Africa, might come for you and me.
De-stroying everything in its path, from sea to shining sea.
Like the great Nations of Europe, in the 16th centu-ry.
Outro
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