G      G/F#   C   G     C      C/B       D 
I once knew a poet, who lived before his time 
G       G/F#    C     G C            C/B      D 
He and his dog Spooner, who listened while he rhymed 
Em               Bm     C        C/B      F   F/E D 
Words to make ya happy, words to make you cry 
G        G/F#    C   G  C    D     G    C G 
Then one day the poet suddenly did die 
 
But he left behind a closet, filled with verse and rhyme 

Through some strange transaction one was printed in the Times 

And everybody searchin for the king of underground 

Well they found him down in Florida, with a tombstone for a crown 
 

C   C/B       D 
And everybody knows the lines  
C       C/B              D 
From his book that costs $4.99 
C     C/B           D 
And I wonder if he knows he's doin 
C          G 
Quite this fine  
 
Cause his books are all best sellers, his poems were turned to songs 
Had his brother on a talk show, though they never got along 
And now he's called immortal, yes he's even taught in school 
They say he used his talent, a most proficient tool 
  
But he left all of his royalties, to Spooner his old hound 
Growin old on steak and bacon, in a dog house 10 feet 'round 
And everybody wonders, did he really lose his mind 
No, he was just a poet who lived before his time. 
 
He was just a poet who lived before his time.