C             G        G              C
Fifteen Cuban minutes, fairly safe to say,
    C              G       G               C
can feel more like an hour   or the entire day.

[Bridge]
       E7                                 Am
In the land where time means nothing, not hard to slip away,
     D7                         G
El Diablo baila sábado, y los curas on Sunday.

[Chorus]
C             G            G             C
Fifteen Cuban minutes, the end is out of sight;
        C               G                 G           C
so I'll meet you by the cannon on the the   Malecón tonight.

[Verse 1]
   G            C       G               C
It started in Havana in nineteen-twenty-one,
       G              C            G           C
on the schooner Chiquimula where a party had begun.
G            C           G           C
Primer cumpleaños, for a tiny lad at sea,
    G              C                G         C
and in my heart is still that faded photo of JD.

[Verse 2]
G                 C       G              C
Signal flags were flying atop the entire fleet,
                 G              C              G               C
while the rhumba band from Santiago played the birthday boy to sleep.
G                   C             G              C
That's the tale was told to me, a seadog nursery rhyme,
        G              C                  G              C
and the music that was handed down from a long forgotten time.

[Chorus]
C             G       G               C
Fifteen Cuban minutes get lost in the fog,
C                   G                    G              C
life's a test, just do your best, like a   three-legged dog.

[Bridge]
       E7                                     Am
In the land where time means nothing, you can often lose your mind;
    D7                                   G
now place your bets, or better yet, just join a conga line.

[Chorus]
C             G           G               C
Fifteen Cuban minutes can turn night into day;
        C              G      G                C
they're dancing on the tables   down at El Frente.

[Verse 3]
  G           C              G             C
Another entry in the log, my mind put to a test,
     G                  C                G                 C
when we sailed with the Hemmingways on a schooner from Key West.
       G              C           G              C
They'd come to make a movie about long forgotten times;
G                C                  G            C
see old friends, drink some rum and visit family shrines.

[Verse 4]
    G                C                G              C
So, how the hell did we wind up, just tagging right along?
          G             C              G               C
They were looking for a soundtrack and heard one of my songs.
      G           C                 G            C
So, I sang Havana Daydreamin', just me and my guitar,
        G           C                  G               C
to some very stern KGB-guys, trying to blend in at the bar.

[Chorus]
       C             G             G          C
So for fifteen Cuban minutes, la bodega did ignite;
   C          G     G                C
bongos y tumbadoras   kept us up all night.

[Bridge]
  E7                       Am
Mojitos by the minute, the crowd stacked at the door;
D7                        G
niños, dogs, and roosters frolicked on the floor.

[Chorus]
C             G        G                  C
Fifteen Cuban minutes,   lots of give and take;
C                G               G                C
birthdays always come and go but   not a birthday cake.

[Interlude 1]
Am     E       Am      E
Am     E       Am      E
Am     E       Am      E
Am     E       Dm7/9   G

[Interlude 2] (Steel Drums)
Am     E       Am      E
Am     E       Am      E
Am     E       Am      E
Am     E       Dm7/9   G

[Chorus]
C             G           G         C
Fifteen Cuban minutes are easy to embrace,
   C            G                 G            C
no calendars or watch to wind, no schedules to chase.

[Bridge]
       E7                                 Am
In the land where time means nothing this phrase it cries, "Delay!"
D7                        G
Put it on a tee shirt and everyone will pay.

[Chorus]
       C         G      G         C
Quince minutos Cubanos, dejace la drama;
 C           G G          C
aqui no hay AC solo la ventana.

[Verse 5]
N.C.
Music makes use happy, it's in our chromosomes;
   N.C.
no matter where we wander, music takes us home.
   N.C.
It started on the island, disbursed by sweet songbirds
    N.C.
who flew north 'cross the Gulf Stream and everybody heard.

[Verse 6]
        N.C.
Now the clock just keeps on ticking, I hear it everywhere I go,
      N.C.
and I sing along in cars and bars along Calle Ocho.
    N.C.
God bless Ricky Ricardo and Little Ricky, too,
     N.C.
they set my mind on island time. How about you?

[Verse 7]
    G           C            G               C
The Greeks and Egyptians had sundials in the sand,
G            C                 G               C
now we have atomic clocks that measure the Big Bang.
      G            C                 G              C
Still I prefer the simple way, let's take it to the street;
     G                C        G                  C
more walking and less talking, tap time with your feet.

[Chorus]
C             G             G                  C
Fifteen Cuban minutes still stands the test of time,
C            G             G                 C
like a Salas photograph or   Kenneth Patchen rhyme.

[Bridge]
          E7                       Am
If you're looking for a launchpad, no news, just hearsay,
      D7                         G
don't bother with the WiFi, fuck Siri, ask Jose!

[End-Chorus]
C             G        G                 C
Fifteen Cuban minutes, there's no end in sight;
     C               G                 G           C
I'll meet you by the cannon on the the   Malecón tonight.

[Outro]
N.C.
Sana sana colito de rana
Si no sana hoy, bueno sana mañana
Mañana mañana lo que dicen Havana
Si no pasa hoy no pasa mañana.