Al Stewart’s signature hit from 1976. Inspired by the film Casablanca, and referring to the year found in the Vietnamese zodiac, Year of the Cat reached number 8 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.
Al Stewart has a very unique songwriting ability, which earned him the title of “Chief Scribe of English...
{Instrumental Lead In}
[Verse 1]
On a morning from a Bogart movie
In a country where they turn back time
You go strolling through the crowd like Peter Lorre
Contemplating a crime
[Pre-Chorus]
She comes out of the sun in a silk dress running
Like a watercolor in the rain
Don't bother asking for explanations!
She'll just tell you that she came
[Chorus]
In the Year of the Cat
[Verse 2]
She doesn't give you time for questions
As she locks up your arm in hers
And you follow 'till your sense of which direction
Completely disappears
[Pre-Chorus]
By the blue tiled walls near the market stalls, there's a hidden door she leads you to
These days, she says: "I feel my life!"
Just like a river running through
[Chorus]
The Year of the Cat
[Verse 3]
Well, she looks at you so coolly
And her eyes shine
Like the moon in the sea, she comes in Incense
And Patchouli
So, you take her
To find what's waiting inside
[Chorus]
The Year of the Cat
{Instrumental Bridge}
[Verse 4]
Well, morning comes and you're still with her
And the bus and the tourists are gone
And you've thrown away your choice and lost your ticket
So, you have to stay on
[Pre-Chorus]
But, the drum-beat strains of the night remain
In the rhythm of the new-born day
You know sometime you're bound to leave her
But, for now you're going to stay
[Chorus]
In the Year of the Cat
{Outro}
Year of the Cat was written by Peter Wood & Al Stewart.
Year of the Cat was produced by Alan Parsons.
Al Stewart released Year of the Cat on Thu Jan 01 1976.