753 – Traffic - 40,000 headmen (1968)

Escrita por Steve Winwood e Jim Capaldi, foi gravada em final de 1967 e começo de 1968 e lançada em um compacto que tinha No face, No name como Lado B em 1968 e também lançada no disco Traffic.

Foi regravada pelo Blood, Sweat and Tears em 1970.

O protagonista da canção segue esses 40 mil homens através dos oceanos até uma caverna secreta onde eles guardam um tesouro enorme. Pegando o máximo que consegue, ele viaja pra um local e descobre que os 40 mil homens haviam o seguido. Eles atiram, mas não matam o protagonista, que decide fugir.

A letra:

Forty thousand headmen couldn't make me change my mind
If I had to take the choice between the deaf man and the blind
I know just where my feet should go and that's enough for me
I turned around and knocked them down and walked across the sea.

Hadn't traveled very far when suddenly I saw
Three small ships a-sailing out towards a distant shore
So lighting up a cigarette I followed in pursuit
And found a secret cave where they obviously stashed their loot.
Filling up my pockets, even stuffed it up my nose
I must have weighed a hundred tons between my head and toes
I ventured out before the dawn had time to change its mind
And soaring high above the cloud I found a golden shrine.
Laying down my treasure before the iron gate
Quickly rang the bell hoping I hadn't come too late
But someone came along and told me not to waste my time
And when Ia sked him who he was he said, 'Just look behind.'

So I turned around and forty thousand headmen hit the dirt
Firing twenty shotguns each and man, it really hurt
But luckily for me they had to stop and then reload
And by the time they'd done that I was heading down the road.

A versão do Traffic ao vivo:

A versão de Dave Mason com Jim Capaldi:

A versão de Blood, Sweat and Tears: