SIRENS' CHANTEY

A SONG

Well, a captain called his sailors
Boys, come gather round!
Remember without your captain
That you would surely drown.
The mates looked at each other
And not a one made a sound
But if you looked in their hearts
Doubt could there be found.

The work involved in rowing
Required every man on deck,
Except for that old captain
Who just kept them all in check.
Til one day they went a-drifting
Where the sirens sing their song
And that night every sailor had a dream
In which he too did sing along.

And they sang:

The sea is rough, and it is wide,
But it can set you free
There is no use in looking
If you don’t want to see
We’re not alone on this tiny ship
As sometimes it may seem
It is only by your captain
That you don’t live your dreams.

So, throw the captain overboard
Throw him to the sea
Throw the captain overboard
And you will all be free!

The next day captain told them
That the sirens could sing tones
Which could bring to life all fears
And peel the skin right from their bones.
Don’t listen to their singing
Whatever you might do,
And cover your ears as we pass them by
Or we’ll abandon you.

But the crew all remembered dreaming
Of the day when they’d be free
To sing the sirens’ chantey
As they sailed across the sea
So the men all got to talkin’
About that captain and his tricks
And that night they threw him overboard
And left him in quite a fix.

And they sang…

Well, those sailors sailed for ages,
And their spirits did not die
Because they sang the sirens’ song,
All captains to defy.
On their ship they were all equals
And every man the same did row
As well as commanding his own right
To go wherever he might go.

And they sang….