A Well-Bred Englishman

Written by: Ray Davies

Published by: Davray Music, Ltd.

Chord file

Lyrics:

While the Spaniards are content to lazily sit in the heat
The Italians are too disorganized to even compete
No people on Earth have got the qualifications of the Englishman

The Japanese are competent, but much too petite
The Germans are competitors, but always bound to defeat
No people on Earth have got the fine reputation of the well-bred Englishman
No nation on Earth except a good old Anglo-Saxon Englishman

William Shakespeare, Henry Fielding and Byron
(He was an Englishman)
Frederick Händel, Walter Scott, the list goes on
(He was an Englishman)
Sir Isaac Newton, Samuel Pepys, Sir Francis Drake were all Englishmen
(Quite right, don't you think?)

The Dutch are much too occupied with their chocolates and plants
Those Russians always threaten to, but they obviously can't
It's plainly clear there's only one man here to take up that challenge
And that's a well-bred Englishman
Oh yes he is, a good old Anglo-Saxon well-bred Englishman

Chaucer, Charles Dickens and Wordsworth
(He was an Englishman)
The greatest literary nation on this Earth
(Englishman)
Now our reputation as explorers and conquerors is at stake
(An Englishman)
An Englishman must never hesitate
They can try, but they can never break
A single well-bred Anglo-Saxon Englishman

[From the musical, but not on the demo:]
Ah, but what about the Americans?
Americans are good chaps for sport
But there are qualities that they lack
They are keen, but somehow they lack the experience of Captain Cook
Now there's a man

No nation on Earth has the qualifications of the well-bred Englishman
No nation on Earth except the good old Anglo-Saxon Englishman

Horatio Nelson, Richard the Lionheart, Albert the Great
(He was an Englishman)
Lord Wellington at Waterloo, Henry the Eighth
(He was an Englishman)
Leave for the sea, it would be a contender
Except for the gender, though he had quite a masculine gate
(An Englishman)
An Englishman must never break
No, don't underestimate the good old well-bred Anglo-Saxon Englishman
A well-bred Anglo-Saxon Englishman

This song can be found on the following releases:

stereo mix, recorded 16 Mar, 1987 at (possibly) Calliope Studios, New York

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