The Dead Sea Shanty

The Dead Sea Shanty

by Aurora Ryder

I hold a fist of spices,

And wonder at the cost,

How many souls will make it?

How many will be lost?

We started out with twenty,

a brave and noble crew.

Half of us were sea-trained,

the other half were new,

But that’s the way with sailing,

no matter what you do,

you’ll always bury someone,

‘neath the unforgiving blue.

So raise a glass in mem’ry,

and raise your mighty sails.

Chart a course worth sailing,

and pray for steady gales.

And mind you watch your footing,

when you’re climbing up the mast,

‘else you’ll end like Patrick,

who fell down awful fast,

And so she takes another,

that beautiful blue sea.

You’ll die before you cross her,

This I guarantee.

Sail oh merry sailor,

sing oh merry son,

sail into the sunset,

‘til the sailors number one.

Seven days of sailing,

sees Alfred down and dead,

heart attack and fever,

took the old man in his bed,

So we raised a glass in honor,

and danced in candlelight.

Buried Hal at dawn,

‘cause he drank all day and night.

We started out with twenty,

and now we’re seventeen.

Captain says we’ve bad luck,

the worst he’s ever seen.

And fate or sea or fortune,

soon will prove him right;

we found him dead this morning,

from “pufferfish delight.”

We had to hang the chef then,

for as good sailors know:

“A man who kills his captain,

reaps that which he sows.”

And so she takes another,

that beautiful blue sea.

You’ll die before you cross her,

This I guarantee.

Sail oh merry sailor,

sing oh merry son,

sail into the sunset,

‘til the sailors number one.

Marcus is made captain,

but he cannot choose a mate.

Jenny kills Tobias,

and settles the debate.

And for a bit it’s peaceful,

but then we hit a storm.

The spices fell on Emma,

And crushed her little form.

We started out with twenty,

now it’s three and ten.

I’ve taught them all the chorus,

but still I’ll sing again:

And so she takes another,

that beautiful blue sea.

You’ll die before you cross her,

This I guarantee.

Sail oh merry sailor,

sing oh merry son,

sail into the sunset,

‘til the sailors number one.

Mara has gone missing…

We’re losing more and more.

She cannot sing the chorus,

‘cause her body’s on the floor,

Seems she had the blight,

‘cause her eyes and skin are blue.

Seems she got around,

‘cause four men have it too.

We leave them on an island,

and pray it is enough,

I ‘spose they could be living,

but the odds are looking rough.

And so she takes another,

that beautiful blue sea.

You’ll die before you cross her,

This I guarantee.

Sail oh merry sailor,

sing oh merry son,

sail into the sunset,

‘til the sailors number one.

Cali’s man was on the island,

and she won’t leave him behind.

She takes a shot at Marcus,

but Jenny sends it wide.

And in the bout that follows,

neither one survives.

We started out with twenty.

Now we’re down to five.

And so she takes another,

that beautiful blue sea.

You’ll die before you cross her,

This I guarantee.

Sail oh merry sailor,

sing oh merry son,

sail into the sunset,

‘til the sailors number one.

Suicide took Marcus;

When I looked him in the eyes,

he blew a shot between them,

and sailed into the skies.

We barely have enough now,

to man the mast and oars.

Ships are manned in twenties,

but all we’ve got is four.

Jacob was our hope–

The doctor of the ship.

He saw the signs of scurvy,

But never let it slip.

He gave his slice to Lisa,

And with it she survived.

I wonder if he’d kept it,

Would he be alive?

When Allen buried Jacob,

He buried Allen too,

cause when your lover’s dead,

well, what else do you do?

I sing tonight for all ‘them,

as I gaze upon the blue.

We started out with twenty,

and now we’re down to two.

And so she takes another,

that beautiful blue sea.

You’ll die before you cross her,

This I guarantee.

Sail oh merry sailor,

sing oh merry son,

sail into the sunset,

‘til the sailors number one.

And now it’s me and Lisa,

but she is not the same.

She who laughs no longer,

and clothes herself in shame.

She says she will not perish.

She says she will not die.

She has the look of Marcus,

and all she does is lie.

I hear her after midnight,

praying to the sky.

When I raise my blade in mercy,

she doesn’t even cry.

Now I ‘spose I’m captain,

but of what, I have no clue.

For I’ve barely got a ship now,

And I haven’t got a crew.

Guess I’ll sing the chorus,

cause there’s nothing else to do.

I’m sailing on a ghost ship,

on the unforgiving blue.

And so she takes another,

that beautiful blue sea.

You’ll die before you cross her,

This I guarantee.

Sail oh merry sailor,

sing oh merry son,

sail into the sunset,

‘til the sailors number one.

Then sing out sorrow sailor,

sing out while you cry.

Weep and wail and wonder,

and pray one day you’ll die,

Sing out sorrow sailor,

while you bury all your crew.

Weep and wail and wonder,

as they sink beneath the blue.

Then raise the flag, surrender,

and lift the sails up high,

sail into the storm son,

and sing out while you die:

“And so she takes another,

that beautiful blue sea.

You’ll die before you cross her,

and then you’ll sail with me.

Sail oh merry sailor,

sing oh merry son,

sail into the thunder,

‘til the sailors number none.”