GORDON LIGHTFOOT - Ballad Of Yarmouth Castle lyrics

rate me

Well, it's four o'clock in the afternoon<br>And the anchors have been weighed<br>From miami to nassau,<br>She's bound across the waves<br><br>She'll be headin' south through biscayne bay<br>Into the open sea<br>Yarmouth castle, she's a-dyin' and don't know it<br><br>Now the many years she's been to sea<br>She's seen the better times<br>She gives a groan of protest<br>As they cast away her lines<br><br>And the grumble of her engines<br>And the rust along her spine<br>Tells the castle she's too old to be sailin'<br><br>But the sands run out within her heart<br>A tiny spark glows red<br>It smoulders through the evening<br>There's laughter overhead<br><br>Now the men are served, and the cards are dealt<br>And the drinks are passed around<br>Deep within the fire starts a-burnin'<br><br>Now it's midnight on the open sea<br>And the moon is shining bright<br>Some people join the party<br>And others say good-night<br><br>There's many who are sleeping now<br>It's been a busy day<br>And a tiny wisp of smoke is a-risin'<br><br>Oh lord, she groans, I'm burning!<br>Let someone understand!<br>But her silent plea is wasted<br>In the playin' of the band<br><br>Everybody's dancin' on her deck<br>And they're havin' such a time<br>Then a voice says<br>Shut up and deal, I'm losin'<br><br>Deep within the yarmouth castle<br>The fire begins to glow<br>It leaps into the hallways<br>And climbs and twists and grows<br><br>And the paint she wore to keep her young<br>Oh lord, how well it burns<br>And soon that old fire is a-ragin'<br><br>Up beneath the bridge it's climbin' fast<br>The captain stands aloft<br>He calls up to the boatswain, 'n' says<br>Boatswain, we are lost<br><br>For the ragged hoses in the racks<br>No pressure do they hold<br>And the people down below<br>Will soon be dyin'<br><br>All amidships, oh she's blazin' now<br>It's spreadin' fore and aft<br>The people are a-scramblin'<br>As the fire blocks their path<br><br>The evil smoke surrounds them,<br>And they're fallin' in their tracks<br>And the captain in his lifeboat is a-leavin'<br><br>Oh then the ship, bahama star<br>Comes steamin' through the night<br>She sees the castle blazin'<br>And 'tis a terrible sight<br><br>Jump down, jump down! the captain cries<br>We'll save you if we can!<br>Then the paint on his funnels is a-fryin'<br><br>God help the ones who sleep below<br>And cannot find the way!<br>Thank God for those we've rescued<br>Upon this awful day.<br><br>Now the heroes, they are many,<br>But the times are growin' slim<br>And now from stern to bow<br>She's a-blazin'<br><br>Oh the yarmouth castle's moanin'<br>She's cryin' like a child.<br>You can hear her if you listen<br>Above the roar so wild<br><br>Is she cryin' for the ones who lie<br>Within her molten sides? <br>Or cryin' for herself, I'm a-wonderin'<br><br>But the livin' soon were rescued<br>The ones who lived to tell<br>From the star they watched her<br>As she died there in the swells<br><br>Like a toy ship on a mill pond<br>She burned all through the night<br>Then slipped 'neath the waves<br>In the mornin'