Chords with lyrics
Tuning: Standard (E MajorE A augmentedA D MajorD G+G BB E MajorE)
Chorus:
C majorC G+G G+G C majorC
Fifteen Cuban minutes, fairly safe to say,
C majorC G+G G+G C majorC
can feel more like an hour or the entire day.
Bridge:
E7E7 A minorAm
In the land where time means nothing, not hard to slip away,
D7D7 G+G
El Diablo baila sábado, y los curas on Sunday.
Chorus:
C majorC G+G G+G C majorC
Fifteen Cuban minutes, the end is out of sight;
C majorC G+G G+G C majorC
so I'll meet you by the cannon on the the Malecón tonight.
Verse 1:
G+G C majorC G+G C majorC
It started in Havana in nineteen-twenty-one,
G+G C majorC G+G C majorC
on the schooner Chiquimula where a party had begun.
G+G C majorC G+G C majorC
Primer cumpleaños, for a tiny lad at sea,
G+G C majorC G+G C majorC
and in my heart is still that faded photo of JD.
Verse 2:
G+G C majorC G+G C majorC
Signal flags were flying atop the entire fleet,
G+G C majorC G+G C majorC
while the rhumba band from Santiago played the birthday boy to sleep.
G+G C majorC G+G C majorC
That's the tale was told to me, a seadog nursery rhyme,
G+G C majorC G+G C majorC
and the music that was handed down from a long forgotten time.
Chorus:
C majorC G+G G+G C majorC
Fifteen Cuban minutes get lost in the fog,
C majorC G+G G+G C majorC
life's a test, just do your best, like a three-legged dog.
Bridge:
E7E7 A minorAm
In the land where time means nothing, you can often lose your mind;
D7D7 G+G
now place your bets, or better yet, just join a conga line.
Chorus:
C majorC G+G G+G C majorC
Fifteen Cuban minutes can turn night into day;
C majorC G+G G+G C majorC
they're dancing on the tables down at El Frente.
Verse 3:
G+G C majorC G+G C majorC
Another entry in the log, my mind put to a test,
G+G C majorC G+G C majorC
when we sailed with the Hemmingways on a schooner from Key West.
G+G C majorC G+G C majorC
They'd come to make a movie about long forgotten times;
G+G C majorC G+G C majorC
see old friends, drink some rum and visit family shrines.
Verse 4:
G+G C majorC G+G C majorC
So, how the hell did we wind up, just tagging right along?
G+G C majorC G+G C majorC
They were looking for a soundtrack and heard one of my songs.
G+G C majorC G+G C majorC
So, I sang Havana Daydreamin', just me and my guitar,
G+G C majorC G+G C majorC
to some very stern KGB-guys, trying to blend in at the bar.
Chorus:
C majorC G+G G+G C majorC
So for fifteen Cuban minutes, la bodega did ignite;
C majorC G+G G+G C majorC
bongos y tumbadoras kept us up all night.
Bridge:
E7E7 A minorAm
Mojitos by the minute, the crowd stacked at the door;
D7D7 G+G
niños, dogs, and roosters frolicked on the floor.
Chorus:
C majorC G+G G+G C majorC
Fifteen Cuban minutes, lots of give and take;
C majorC G+G G+G C majorC
birthdays always come and go but not a birthday cake.
Interlude 1:
A minorAm E MajorE A minorAm E MajorE
A minorAm E MajorE A minorAm E MajorE
A minorAm E MajorE A minorAm E MajorE
A minorAm E MajorE Dm7/9 G+G
Interlude 2: (Steel Drums)
A minorAm E MajorE A minorAm E MajorE
A minorAm E MajorE A minorAm E MajorE
A minorAm E MajorE A minorAm E MajorE
A minorAm E MajorE Dm7/9 G+G
Chorus:
C majorC G+G G+G C majorC
Fifteen Cuban minutes are easy to embrace,
C majorC G+G G+G C majorC
no calendars or watch to wind, no schedules to chase.
Bridge:
E7E7 A minorAm
In the land where time means nothing this phrase it cries, "Delay!"
D7D7 G+G
Put it on a tee shirt and everyone will pay.
Chorus:
C majorC G+G G+G C majorC
You say minutos Cubanos, dejace la drama;
C majorC G+G G MajorG C majorC
aqui no hay AC solo la ventana.
Verse 5:
N.C.
Music makes use happy, it's in our chromosomes;
N.C.
no matter where we wander, music takes us home.
N.C.
It started on the island, disbursed by sweet songbirds
N.C.
who flew north 'cross the Gulf Stream and everybody heard.
Verse 6:
N.C.
Now the clock just keeps on ticking, I hear it everywhere I go,
N.C.
and I sing along in cars and bars along Calle Ocho.
N.C.
God bless Ricky Ricardo and Little Ricky, too,
N.C.
they set my mind on island time. How about you?
Verse 7:
G+G C majorC G+G C majorC
The Greeks and Egyptians had sundials in the sand,
G+G C majorC G+G C majorC
now we have atomic clocks that measure the Big Bang.
G+G C majorC G+G C majorC
Still I prefer the simple way, let's take it to the street;
G+G C majorC G+G C majorC
more walking and less talking, tap time with your feet.
Chorus:
C majorC G+G G+G C majorC
Fifteen Cuban minutes still stands the test of time,
C majorC G+G G+G C majorC
like a Salas photograph or Kenneth Patchen rhyme.
Bridge:
E7E7 A minorAm
If you're looking for a launchpad, no news, just hearsay,
D7D7 G+G
don't bother with the WiFi, fuck Siri, ask Jose!
End-Chorus:
C majorC G+G G+G C majorC
Fifteen Cuban minutes, there's no end in sight;
C majorC G+G G+G C majorC
I'll meet you by the cannon on the the Malecón tonight.