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I wouldn't want to be a chimney sweep
All black from head to foot
From climbing in them chimneys
And cleaning out that soot
With a broom and ladder and pail
The darkened walls I scale
And far and high I see a patch of sky
I'd rather be the gypsy
(I'd rather be the gypsy)
Whose camped at the edge of town
(Camped at the edge of town)
The one who has the dancing bear
That follows him around
And he lifts his big foot up
He puts his big foot down
And bows and twirls
And dances 'round and 'round
I found I was a cabin boy
Last night as I did dream
Bound upon a magic ship
For a land I'd never seen
And the moon she filled our sails
And the stars they steered out course
And on our bow there was a golden horse
The queen eats fruit and candy
The bishop nuts and cheese
And when I am a grown man
I'll taste just what I please
The honey from the bee
The shellfish from the sea
The earth, the wind, a girl
Someone to share these things with me
I wouldn't want to be a chimney sweep
All black from head to foot
From climbing in them chimneys
And cleaning out that soot
I'd rather be the gypsy
Whose camped at the edge of town
The one who has the dancing bear
That follows him around
All black from head to foot
From climbing in them chimneys
And cleaning out that soot
With a broom and ladder and pail
The darkened walls I scale
And far and high I see a patch of sky
I'd rather be the gypsy
(I'd rather be the gypsy)
Whose camped at the edge of town
(Camped at the edge of town)
The one who has the dancing bear
That follows him around
And he lifts his big foot up
He puts his big foot down
And bows and twirls
And dances 'round and 'round
I found I was a cabin boy
Last night as I did dream
Bound upon a magic ship
For a land I'd never seen
And the moon she filled our sails
And the stars they steered out course
And on our bow there was a golden horse
The queen eats fruit and candy
The bishop nuts and cheese
And when I am a grown man
I'll taste just what I please
The honey from the bee
The shellfish from the sea
The earth, the wind, a girl
Someone to share these things with me
I wouldn't want to be a chimney sweep
All black from head to foot
From climbing in them chimneys
And cleaning out that soot
I'd rather be the gypsy
Whose camped at the edge of town
The one who has the dancing bear
That follows him around
Lyrics submitted by manprettys_panties, edited by Gasp65
Dancing Bear Lyrics as written by John Edmund Andrew Phillips
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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I think the chimney sweep part refers to the time in the 19th century when orphan boys or boys that were sold by their parents who were sent up chimneys to clean them. They often died before their teens as they had developed lung cancer and diseases of that sort. I think this song is supposed to be from the point of view of a boy in this position who is answering a question along the lines of, "If you could be anything in the world, what would you be?"