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about

Apparently, the nickname of chicken was not given to John Devine in the sense of a coward but it was that of an aggressive rooster.

lyrics

11. Shanghai Chicken (1873)

I’m the ghost of the Shanghai Chicken
You might know me by my Christian name
John Devine
I raised hell in San Francisco
Every brothel and boarding house knew me
I was a runner for a crimp
Luring sailors to saloons
Where bartenders of ill repute
Would lace the drinks
Pull the lever
Sending a sailor
Down the trapdoor
To his doom
Years of hard labor
For captains who purchased his debt
I shanghaid countless men
Robbed, injured, and murdered
Dunces, fools, and idiots
They arrested me 79 times
But a sentence never stuck
I took no heed of any warning
Once I lost my hand in a knife fight
But that didn’t stop me
From pursuing my dirty lines of work
But luck runs out for any man
On May 14, 1873
I found myself standing on my own trapdoor
With a noose for a necklace
I only murdered another gullible sailor
Finally the law returned the favor
Shanghaid me
Straight down to hell

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about

Peter Ellis Los Angeles, California

When not suffering from moral turpitude, morbid fixations, and delusions of grandeur, I am taking my coffee very seriously.

My favorite albums of 2014:

Ariel Pink's Pom Pom,
Luluc's Passerby, Real Estate's Atlas,
Stephen Malkmus' Wig Out at Jagbags, Pallbearer's Foundation of Burden,
Ty Segall's Manipulator,
and
J Mascis' Tied to a Star
... more

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