Black Diamond Bay

(Em)Up on the white veranda
(C)She wears a necktie and a (G)Panama hat.
(Em)Her passport shows a face
From (C)another time and place
She looks (G)nothin' like that.
(Bm)And all the remnants of her (C)re(D)cent (C)past
(C/B)Are (G)scattered in the wild wind
She (Bm)walks across the marble floor
Where a (C)voice (D)from the (C)gambling (C/B)room
is (G)callin' her to come on in.
She (Bm)smiles, walks the other (Am)way
As the (C)last (C/B)ship (Am)sails and the (G)moon fades (D)away
From (C)Black (C/B)Dia(Am)mond (G)Bay.

(Em)As the mornin' light breaks open, the (C)Greek comes down
and he asks for a rope and a (G)pen that will write.
(Em)Pardon, monsieur," the desk clerk says,
Care(C)fully removes his fez,
Am I (G)hearin' you right?
(Bm)And as the yellow fog is liftin'
The (C)Greek (D)is (C)quick(C/B)ly (G)headin for the second floor.
She (Bm)passes him on the spiral staircase
(C)Thin(D)kin' (C)he's (G)the Soviet Ambassador,
She (Bm)starts to speak, but he walks a(Am)way
As the (C)storm (C/B)clouds (Am)rise and the (G)palm branches (D)sway
On (C)Black (C/B)Dia(Am)mond (G)Bay.

(Em)A soldier sits beneath the fan
Doin (C)business with a tiny man who (G)sells him a ring.
(Em)Lightning strikes, the lights blow out.
The (C)desk clerk wakes and begins to shout,
(G)Can you see anything?"
(Bm)Then the Greek appears on the second floor
In his (C)bare (D)feet (C)with (C/B)a (G)rope around his neck,
While (Bm)a loser in the gambling room lights (C)up (D)a (C)candle,
(G)Says, Open up another deck.
But (Bm)the dealer says, "Attendez-vous, s'il vous (Am)plait,”
As the (C)rain (C/B)beats (Am)down and the (G)cranes fly a(D)way
From (C)Black (C/B)Dia(Am)mond (G)Bay.

(Em)The desk clerk heard the woman laugh
As he (C)looked around the aftermath and (G)the soldier got tough.
He (Em)tried to grab the woman's hand,
Said, (C)Here's a ring, it cost a grand.
She said, (G)That ain't enough.
(Bm)Then she ran upstairs to pack her bags
While a (C)horse-(D)drawn (C)ta(C/B)xi (G)waited at the curb.
She (Bm)passed the door that the Greek had locked,
Where a (C)hand(D)written (C)sign (G)read, Do Not Disturb.
She (Bm)knocked upon it any(Am)way
As the (C)sun (C/B)went (Am)down and the (G)music did (D)play
On (C)Black (CB)Dia(Am)mond (G)Bay.

(Em)I've got to talk to someone quick!"
But the (C)Greek said, "Go away," and he kicked the (G)chair to the floor.
(Em)He hung there from the chandelier.
She (C)cried, "Help, there's danger near
(G)Please open up the door!"
Then (Bm)the volcano erupted
And the (C)la(D)va (C)flowed (C/B)down (G)from the mountain high above.
The (Bm)soldier and the tiny man were (C)crouched (D)in the (C)cor(G)ner
Thinking of forbidden love.
But (Bm)the desk clerk said, "It happens every (Am)day,"
As the (C)stars (C/B)fell (Am)down and the (G)fields burned a(D)way
On (C)Black (CB)Dia(Am)mond (G)Bay.

(Em)As the island slowly sank
The (C)loser finally broke the bank in (G)the gambling room.
The (Em)dealer said, "It's too late now.
You can (C)take your money, but I don't know how
(G)You'll spend it in the tomb."
The (Bm)tiny man bit the soldier's ear
As the (C)floor (D)caved (C)in (C/B)and the (G)boiler in the basement blew,
While (Bm)she's out on the balcony, where a (C)stran(D)ger (C)tells (G)her,
My darling, je vous aime beaucoup.
She (Bm)sheds a tear and then begins to (Am)pray
As the (C)fire (C/B)burns (Am)on and the (G)smoke drifts a(D)way
From (C)Black (CB)Dia(Am)mond (G)Bay.

(Em)I was sittin' home alone one night in (C)L.A.,
Watchin' old Cronkite on the (G)seven o'clock news.
(Em)It seems there was an earthquake that
Left (C)nothin' but a Panama hat
And a (G)pair of old Greek shoes.
(Bm)Didn't seem like much was happenin',
So I (C)turned (D)it (C)off (C/B)and (G)went to grab another beer.
Seems (Bm)like every time you turn around
There's (C)ano(D)ther (C)hard-(G)luck story that you're gonna hear
And (Bm)there's really nothin' anyone can (Am)say
And I (C)ne(C/B)ver (Am)did plan to (G)go any(D)way
To (C)Black (CB)Dia(Am)mond (G)Bay.