En.Citatepedia^®.ro

Seafarer

'Bright plates and pannikins
To sail the seas around,
And a new donkey's breakfast
For the outward bound!'

Shanghaied in San Francisco
We brought up in Bombay
Where they put us afloat in an old Leith boat
That steered like a stack of hay.

We've sweltered in the Tropics
When the pitch boiled through the deck-
And saved our hides and little besides
In an ice-cold North Sea wreck.

We've drunk our rum in Portland
And we've thrashed through Bering Strait-
And we've toed the mark on a Yankee barque
With a hard-case Down-east mate.

We know the streets of Santos
And the loom of the lone Azores-
We've eat our grub from a salt-horse tub
Condemned from the Navy stores.

We know the quay of Glasgow
And the river at Saigon-
We've drunk our glass with a Chinese lass
In a house-boat at Canton.

We know the road to Auckland
And the light on Sydney Head-
And we've crept close-hauled when the leadsman called
The depth of the Channel bed.

They pay us off in London
And it's 'O for a spell ashore!'
But again we ship for the Southern trip
In a week or hardly more

For- it's 'Goodbye Sally and Sue'
And- 'It's time to get afloat-'
With an aching head and a straw-stuffed bed,
And a knife and an oil-skin coat.

Sing- 'Time to leave her, Johnny!'
Sing- 'Bound for the Rio Grande!'
When the tug turns back you follow her track
For a last, long look at land.

Then the purple disappears-
And only the blue is seen-
That will take our bones to Davy Jones
And our souls to Fiddler's Green.

poem by Anonymous Americas
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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I See A Boat On A River

He left on a boat
Just to follow a dream
He had to find.
You can't hold a man
When he follows a dream
That's on his mind.
I see a boat on the river,
It's sailing away
Down to the ocean,
Where to i can't say.
Boat on the river,
It's sailing away
Down to the ocean,
Where to i can't say.
I waited for him
Such a very long time,
Don't know what for
'cause i should have known
When he left on the boat
We'll meet no more.
I see a boat on the river,
It's sailing away
Down to the ocean,
Where to i can't say.
Boat on the river,
It's sailing away
Down to the ocean,
Where to i can't say.
Boat on the river,
It's sailing away
Down to the ocean,
Where to i can't say.
Boat on the river.
You're bound for the sea,
If you should find him
Please greet him from me.
There were people who came
And said it's really a shame,
Why did he take off
To follow just a dream.
But i guess they were wrong,
In life you're sailing along
And things don't turn out
As simple as they seem.
Boat on the river,
It's sailing away
Down to the ocean,
Where to i can't say.
I see a boat on the river,
It's sailing away
Down to the ocean,
Where to i can't say.
I see a boat on the river.
You're bound for the sea,
If you should find him
Please greet him from me.
Boat on the river,
It's sailing away
Down to

song performed by by Boney M.
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Goldrush

Bless my heart and soul
I've discovered gold
Spread the news around
Get the ship afloat
A rock and roll the boat
Let's get into town
I am living down by the creek
Getting mired in the mud
No liquor for a week
I feel the cold in my blood
Here's a very busy lady
On her knees in the sludge
Well I do believe she's crazy
You know she's working like a drudge
Bless my heart and soul
She's discovered gold
Spread the news around
Get the ship afloat
A rock and roll the boat
And let's get into town
Even though she smelt like a drain
She's an angel to me
Her intentions are plain
And the whiskey is free
Breaking out another bottle
Keep it cool in the dirt
Well it's a water baby heaven
I got the papers in my shirt
Bless my heart and soul
We've discovered gold
Spread the news around
Get the ship afloat
A rock and roll the boat
And let's get into town
Bless my heart and soul
We've discovered gold
Spread the news around
Get the ship afloat
A rock and roll the boat
And let's get into town
You work hard all your life little honey
But you can't afford to save any money
You lay it down you leave the town
To see what you could find
For more than 20 years you're a diggin'
Then you can't believe what you are a pickin'
It's a piece of change just like a mountain range
Whoopee we're gonna lay it down

song performed by by Supertramp
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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No Money

She'd gotten used to the idle life
Following the sun was her full-time occupation
A lesson to us all
Or at least for the education
Oh, but look at her now
Fox-trotting the globe
With her head in the clouds
I haven't got no money
To keep this affair afloat
And I don't think that it's funny
It looks like I've sunk my boat
But she'll keep me dangling on and on and on
Well, furs and pearls I'm trapped in your pocket
Where six-foot toys stumble upon it
Your high-class ways have seen better days
But to me you'll always be
Complicating, infatuating
I haven't got no money
To keep this affair afloat
And I don't think that it's funny
Looks like I've sunk my boat
I haven't got no money
To keep this affair afloat
And I don't think that it's funny
It looks like I've sunk myboat
Royal Britannia
The jet-set dreams on and on
Into another sun-drenched sin where
Kings and queens
And jesters preen
You know, you know
I haven't got no money
To keep this affair afloat
And I don't think that it's funny
It looks like I've sunk my boat
I haven't got no money
To keep this affair afloat
And I don't think that it's funny
It looks like I've sunk my boat

song performed by by Madness
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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I See A Boat On The River

He left on a boat
Just to follow a dream
He had to find.
You cant hold a man
When he follows a dream
Thats on his mind.
I see a boat on the river,
Its sailing away
Down to the ocean,
Where to I cant say.
Boat on the river,
Its sailing away
Down to the ocean,
Where to I cant say.
I waited for him
Such a very long time,
Dont know what for
cause I should have known
When he left on the boat
Well meet no more.
I see a boat on the river,
Its sailing away
Down to the ocean,
Where to I cant say.
Boat on the river,
Its sailing away
Down to the ocean,
Where to I cant say.
Boat on the river,
Its sailing away
Down to the ocean,
Where to I cant say.
Boat on the river.
Youre bound for the sea,
If you should find him
Please greet him from me.
There were people who came
And said its really a shame,
Why did he take off
To follow just a dream.
But I guess they were wrong,
In life youre sailing along
And things dont turn out
As simple as they seem.
Boat on the river,
Its sailing away
Down to the ocean,
Where to I cant say.
I see a boat on the river,
Its sailing away
Down to the ocean,
Where to I cant say.
I see a boat on the river.
Youre bound for the sea,
If you should find him
Please greet him from me.
Boat on the river,
Its sailing away
Down to

song performed by by Boney M.
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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The Horse and Cart Ferry

It was old Jerry Brown,
Who’d an office in town,
And he used to get jocular, very;
And he’d go to the Shore
When they’d serve him no more,
And, of course, by the passenger ferry,
A sight on the passenger ferry.
Now this is a song of the ferry,
And a lay of the juice of the berry;
’Tis the ballad of Brown,
Who’d a business in town,
And commenced to go down
Very slow,
Don’t you know?
By coming home just a bit merry.

By the Drunks’ Boat—that’s right—
On a Saturday night
He would often be past being merry;
With his back teeth afloat,
On the twelve o’clock boat,
And a spectacle there on the ferry
(A picture to all on the ferry).

In the mornings, ashamed—
’Twas the last drink he blamed,
Though the first was the matter with Jerry,
With his nerve out of joint,
He’d sneak down to Blue’s Point,
And he’d cross by the horse-and-cart ferry,
Like a thief—by the horse-and-cart ferry.

But long before night
He’d most likely be tight,
And a subject and theme for George Perry;
And he’d cross to the Shore,
Somewhat worse than before,
And a nuisance to all on the ferry;
Singing-drunk on the passenger ferry.

And so it went on
Till his reason seemed gone,
And the Law, so it seemed, got a derry
On Brown. He went down,
And they sent him to town
One day, by “the trap,” on the ferry—
The Government trap on the ferry.

He was sober and sane
When he came back again,
And the past he’d determined to bury—
Or, I mean, live it down—
And he crossed from the town
Like a man, on the passenger ferry.
(There were sceptical souls on that ferry.)

They say ’twas the jaw
Of his mother-in-law
Drove him back to the juice of the berry;
But he soon got afloat
On the passenger boat
Or adrift on the horse-and-cart ferry
(Wrongly called the ve-hic-ular ferry).

The drink had him fast,
And he drank till at last
He dried up—a withered old cherry;
And they thought him no loss
When they sent him across
In a box, on the cart-and-horse ferry—
In a low, covered trap on the ferry.

Which I rise to explain—
If the moral ain’t plain,
And if you’re a cove that gets merry—
Always stick, when “afloat,”
To the passenger boat;
Or else to the cart-and-horse ferry,
Or you’ll make matters worse, like old Jerry.

But this is the song of the ferry,
And the lay of the juice of the berry;
And you will not deny—
If you read by-and-bye—
That the casual eye
Of the Tight
At first sight
Misses much in the song of the ferry.

poem by Henry Lawson
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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Sail On My Boat

Im gonna sail on my boat and keep it afloat forever
Nobodys gonna tell me how it wont stay together
I got a waiting ticket wont you sail it
Nobodys whos staying asleep knows what Im saying
Im gonna throw out a rope and keep it afloat its granted
? ? ? ? ? ? independence
Im gonna wake and take us all to where oh
Nobodys gonna talk me down by stormy weather
Got to sail my boat
Got to keep afloat
I get the need to keep on when Im sailing
Ill sail across dont make it a choice Ill plan it
Nobody ever thought you wouldnt take you for granted
Ill tie the ropes that keep me afloat and sailing
Nobody ever taught me teach what Im playing
Gonna lift up my voice and sing you a song romantic
? ? ? ? ? ? ? independence
Repeat chorus
Hold on in love take it to where you never
Nobodys gonna tell me how it wont stay together
Ive got a freedom ticket lets go sailing
Nobodys whos staying asleep knows what Im saying
Repeat chorus twice

song performed by by Ocean Colour Scene
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Boat To Sail

Youre up state, up late, and city fed
Im a california label
From the top of my head,
Forever, ah
See a lot of open sky
When the sun goes down
Theres a hot, lot of loving when you come
Around, to free me, ah
In a boat to sail, boat to sail, away, ah
All those letters mailed from a
Boat to sail, away ah
We are riding in a boat to sail
Bare foot, coconut and supermild
Jamaica take a look
At your own child
Forget not
Brian wilson songs are never left behind
Dont you worry baby, youre a friend of mine
For so long
From a boat to sail, boat to sail, away ah
All those letters mailed, from a
Boat to sail, away ah
We are riding in a boat to sail
We are riding in a boat to sail

song performed by by Carpenters
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Serene

A sea of cloth on an early morning
A wooden boat afloat
The cloth of blue and gray clouds
Still touching
Hands and Lips
A man wearing a straw hat
A woman on green skirt watching
Him sail back,
A child cradled on her arms
Serene in sleep

poem by Ric S. Bastasa
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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Speedboat Ride

Eastwards, along the Thames, we leisurely cruise,
Taking in, all around us, some magnificent views.
We are given a live commentary, by our Guide,
As, past many places of interest, we now ride.

By the time, the speedboat reaches Canary Wharf,
There is far less river traffic, going to and forth.
Very suddenly, our boat picks up great speed;
To hold on tightly, there now is a great need.

As our boat zooms about, here and there,
The cold, wild wind whips through our hair.
The experience is just so totally exhilarating,
And, most definitely, well worth the waiting.

As the speedboat, merrily twists and turns,
The river water, below us, restlessly churns.
The boat zigzags about, rocking side to side;
In our seats, our bottoms can’t help but slide.

Over newly created waves, our boat now hops;
For a second, we’re flying, before we then drop.
We’re bumped about: just like at a fairground,
But, all too soon, our boat is homeward bound.

Our experience has really been just so thrilling;
To repeat it all, we are both more than willing.
A while later, we’re stood back upon dry land,
With another speedboat trip already planned.

poem by Angela Wybrow
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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A big vessel is called a ship
designed for an oversea trip.
So, don't call it a boat
or it won't stay afloat.
Pay heed to this pertinent tip.

quote by by Herbert Nehrlich
Submitted by Dan Costinaş
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How’s My Boy?

“HO, Sailor of the sea!
How’s my boy—my boy?”
“What’s your boy’s name, good wife,
And in what good ship sail'd he?”
“My boy John— He that went to sea—
What care I for the ship, sailor?
My boy's my boy to me.
“You come back from sea,
And not know my John?
I might as well have ask’d some landsman
Yonder down in the town.
There ’s not an ass in all the parish
But he knows my John.

“How’s my boy—my boy?
And unless you let me know
I’ll swear you are no sailor,
Blue jacket or no,
Brass buttons or no, sailor,
Anchor and crown or no!
Sure his ship was the ‘Jolly Briton’”—
“Speak low, woman, speak low!”
“And why should I speak low, sailor,
About my own boy John?
If I was loud as I am proud
I’d sing him over the town!
Why should I speak low, sailor?”
“That good ship went down.”

“How’s my boy—my boy?
What care I for the ship, sailor?
I was never aboard her.
Be she afloat or be she aground,
Sinking or swimming, I’ll be bound,
Her owners can afford her!
I say, how’s my John?”
“Every man on board went down,
Every man aboard her.”
“How’s my boy—my boy?
What care I for the men, sailor?
I’m not their mother—
How’s my boy—my boy?
Tell me of him and no other!
How ’s my boy—my boy?”

poem by Sydney Thompson Dobell
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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Burning Down

]from the back of my neck, oh oh oh
Wired a glass jaw, oh oh
Plantation burning your boat is coming in
Strum your jews-harp, youre reeking gin
Running water in a sinking boat
Going under but theyve got your goat
Burning down - my hands are tied my feet are bound
Burning down - cant you see that my hands are bound
Johnny mike is reading in the yard
His storys timely, oh oh oh
What river is it anyway, radio
Not in a boat, in your ear
Running water in a sinking boat
Going under but theyve got your goat
Burning down - my hands are tied my feet are bound
Burning down - cant you see that my hands are bound
You pick your island in the sun
Take your island off hes got a gun
Burning down - my hands are tied my feet are bound
Burning down - cant you see that my hands are bound
Hes cooking in the woods, a brush fire in your neck
Feeling mighty mighty, oh oh oh
You can pick your island in the sun
Take your island off hes got a gun
Running water in a sinking boat
Going under but theyve got your goat
Burning down - my hands are tied my feet are bound
Burning down - cant you see that my hands are bound

song performed by by REM
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Stories Of Hope Series #5 Surrounding Waters

The HOPE was fading from his mind
For he had been in the water a very long time.
When the boat started to take water in
He grabbed the life vest and dove
in the water and started to swim.
He had no time to place a distress call
Or to shoot up a flair, because the
gasoline was spreading everywhere.

As he got about 200 yards away, he heard the explosion.
Bits of fiberglass flying all around him
The chances for survival was looking mighty grim.
He knew that land was to the west
And he had to swim and then take a rest.
He thanked the LORD that he had
The time to grab the vest.
For without that he could not stay afloat
While searching all around for signs of a boat.
As he looked across the horizon, he could see
The beauty of the sky touching the ocean
The water was calm and without motion.
He knew he had two things in his favor
Grabbing the vest, and having his diving
Watch on his wrist, which showed depth, time, and compass.
He knew he had to keep his mind active and awake.
So he started to sing songs of faith.
As he floated on his back and looking to the skies
Is when he realized, that the LORD cannot be denied.
He felt a chill go up and down his spine
But it wasn’t from the cold, it was a chill of the divine.
He saw clouds above his head and they seemed
To be taking shape, as it spread like ripples
From east to the west. Then as he looked again
He saw the center of the cloud start to pull in and darken
And stretch from north to south, then a cloud puff
Floated above the center, and a face came into sight
It was of my GOD, and I screamed with such delight.
His arms were outstretched and I heard a voice
Within my head, it said: I am with you and will
Always be by your side.
It is not your time for me to take you away
For you believed in me and you began to pray.

Look to the west, for there is a boat
On the horizon, searching for survivors of
That deadly explosion who may be in the ocean.

Spread the word of what you heard and saw
For I will be with you from now and evermore.
you showed HOPE when there was none around
You did not scream and curse, complain
or make a sound.

HOPE IS THE KEY THAT WILL SET YOU FREE!

poem by Louis Rams
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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Give It To Me Strait

(reese wilson/stephen grauberger)
(track 2 - time 2:46)
Bartender I may sit here on this barstool all night long
But I wont need much attention
I just need some time alone
So if youll give me some quarters and a bottle of your best
You can just sit back and let the jukebox do the rest
Give it to me strait
Sing am I blue while I sit here and cry
And tell me how my babys gotten so good at goodbye
Its gonna take a fireman to put this old flame out
So come on give it to me strait
Before I come unwound
Lets start off nice and easy
Something like if I know me
And well work our way up slowly to fool hearted memory
Yeah Ive got all night long to sit right here and fall apart
So dont leave out one single song
I know em all by broken heart
Give it to me strait
Sing am I blue
While I sit here and cry
And tell me how my babys gotten so good at goodbye
Its gonna take a fireman to put this old flame out
So come on give it to me strait
Before I come unwound
There aint one country singer
That aint good for a bad heartache
And for me theres nothing smoother
Than a good stiff shot of strait
Its gonna take a fireman to put this old flame out
So come on give it to me strait
Before I come unwound
So come on give it to me strait
Before I come unwound

song performed by by Tim McGraw
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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There was an Old Man in a boat,
Who said, 'I'm afloat! I'm afloat!'
When they said, 'No! you aint!'
He was ready to faint,
That unhappy Old Man in a boat.

by Edward Lear from A Book of Nonsense (1846)
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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Bound for the Lord-Knows-Where

'Where are you going with your horse and bike,
And the townsfolk still at rest?
Where are you going, with your swag and pack,
And the night still in the West?
Your clothes are worn, and your cheques are gone,
But your eyes are free from care?”
“We’re bushmen down for a spree in town,
And we’re bound for the Lord-knows-where,
Old chap—we’re bound for the Lord-knows-where.”

(There are great dark scrubs in the Lord-knows-where,
Where they fight it out alone,
There are wide wide plains in the Lord-knows-where,
Where a man’s soul is his own.
There is healthy work, there is healthy rest,
There is peace from self-torture there,
And the glorious freedom from paltriness!
And they’re bound for the Lord-knows-where.)

“Now, where are you going in your Sunday suit,
And a bag for your second best?
Now where are you going with your chest of tools,
And the old togs in the chest?
With your six clean shirts and a pound of ‘weed’,
And enough for a third-class fare?”
“Oh! I’ll be afloat by the very next boat,
And I’m bound for the Lord-knows-where,
Old chap—I’m bound for the Lord-knows-where.”

(There are wide wide seas to the Lord-knows-where,
Where a man might have a spell,
The things turn up in the Lord-knows-where that
We waited for too well.
There’s a stranger land in the Lord-knows-where,
And a show for the stranger there.
There is war and quake more work to make,
And he’s bound for the Lord-knows-where.)

“Now where are you going with your Gladstone bag,
With your shirt-case and valise?
Now where are you going with your cap and shoes,
And your looks of joyful peace?
Now where are you going with your money belts,
And your drafts on the first bank there?”
“’We have made a hit,’ or ‘we’ve made a bit,’
And we’re bound for the Lord-knows-where,
Old chap—we’re bound for the Lord-knows-where.”

(There are sinful ports in the Lord-knows-where,
There are marvellous sights to see,
There are high old games in the Lord-knows-where,
That were known to you and me.
There is love and music, and life and light from
The Heads to “Lester” Square,
There is more than space for their high young hearts
There is safety or danger there,
And they’ll come back wild, or they’ll come back tamed
When they’ve been to the Lord-knows-where.)

“Now where am I going with my whisky flask,
And with little else beside?
Now where am I going with my second shirt,
To wear while the first is dried?
I have marred my name, and I’ve lost my fame,
But my hope’s in good repair.
There are lies about, there are warrants out—
And I’m bound for the Lord-knows-where,
Old Chap—and I’m bound for the Lord-knows-where.”

(There’s a rise and fall of the sloping decks,
That is good for a soul in pain;
There’s the drowsy rest on the sunlight sea
Till your strength comes back again.
Oh, the wild mad spirit is hypnotized,
And nerves are tranquil there,
And the past is hushed in forgetfulness,
On the road to the Lord-knows-where.)

poem by Henry Lawson
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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The Dual Divided

Quiet flows a small river
And a small boat floats on its silence.
Nothing goes wrong for some time-
Nothing goes wrong....
There blooms a flower on the face of the lone sailor
As the river recedes and his boat triumphs forward,
He begins to sing a song-
A sweet song...
Nothing goes wrong for some more time-
Nothing goes wrong.
A small wind blows,
It grows into a storm next,
The song stops for at once
And the boat turns upside down.
The sea emerges
And it embraces the river.

Nothing goes wrong.

poem by M.d Dinesh Nair
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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A Chantey of Labor's Lost

There on the quay sobbed Bones, A.B.,
And he took me by the hand.
Says he to me, 'I've quit the sea
An' I'm huntin' a berth on land.
‘Er doom ‘as come; an' the days o' rum,
Salt-‘orse an' tar is over;
For these is the days of the popinjays
An' the end of the deep-sea rover
Oh,
Them tough ole, rough ole, rollicking lads
The shell-back, deep-sea rover.

'They've finished with me,' says Bones, A.B.,
'For they've finished with seamanship.
What they're shippin' of late is a milliner's mate
With a housemaid's mop on the ‘ip.
But ask ‘im the rig of a barque or a brig,
Or the toons of the chanteys sung
By a buck he-male in the days of sail
When me an' me mates was young
Oh,
Them mad ole, bad ole, rollicking days
When mates an' the world was young.

'Before ‘e was born I'd rounded the Horn
Ten times in ships o' sail,
Close-reefed an' fast in the bellerin' blast
Of the mother-in-law of a gale.
Bare-decked I been, an' wrecked I been,
Mate-hazed, marooned, shanghai-ed.
But shiver me gob, I knoo me job
In the days when the seas was wide
Oh,
Them reckless, feckless, rollicking days
When faith and the seas was wide.

'So I'm leavin' the sea,' says Bones, A.B.,
'For the sea don't need me now.
An' I'm shapin' a course to valet a ‘orse
Or coddle a milkin' cow.
All that they asks of shipboard tasks
Is a dood of a doll's-eye weaver;
An' I'm missin' ‘em bad; them mates I ‘ad
So lovin' the sea they leave ‘er
Oh,
Them tearin', swearin', devil-may-carin',
Lovable lads wot leave ‘er.'

poem by Clarence Michael James Stanislaus Dennis
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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You'll Be There

Hope is an anchor, and love is a ship
Time is the ocean and life is a trip
You don't know where you're going
Til you know where you're at
And if you can't read the stars
Well you better have a map
A compass and a conscience
so you don't get lost at sea
Around some lonely island, no one wants to be
From the beginning of creation, I think our maker had plan
For us to leave these shores and sail beyond the sand
And let the good light guide to the waves and the wind
To the beaches and a world where have never been
And we'll climb upon a mountain, y'all we'll let our voices ring
Those who've never tried they'll be the first to sing
CHORUS:
Woah My My
I'll see you on the other side
If I make it
And it might be a long hard ride
But I'm gonna take it
Sometimes it seems I don't have a prayer
Let the weather take me anywhere
But I know I wanna go
Where the streets are gold
Cause you'll be there
Oh my my
You don't bring nothing with you here
And you can't take nothing back
I ain't never seen a hearse, with a luggage rack
So I've torn my knees from praying
Scarred my back from falling down
Spent so much time flying high, til I'm face first in the ground
So if you're up there watching me, can you talk to God and say,
Tell him I might need a hand to see a boat someday
Repeat Chorus
Cause you'll be there
Oh my my

song performed by by George Strait
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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In the Glass-Bottomed Boat

In the glass-bottomed boat
of our lives, we putter along
gazing at the other world
under the sea-
that world of flickering
yellow-tailed fish,
of deadly moray eels, of sea urchins
like black stars
that devastate great brains
of coral,
of fish the color
of blue neon,
& fish the color
of liquid silver
made by Indians
exterminated
centuries ago.

We pass, we pass,
always looking down.
The fish do not
look up at us,
as if they knew
somehow
their world
for the eternal one,
ours for
the merely time-bound.

The engine sputters.
Our guide-a sweet
black boy with skin
the color of molten chocolate-
asks us of the price of jeans
& karate classes
in the States.
Surfboards too
delight him-
& skateboards.
He wants to sail, sail, sail,
not putter
through the world.

& so do we,
so do we,
wishing for the freedom
of the fish
beneath the reef,
wishing for the crevices
of sunken ship
with its rusted eyeholes,
its great ribbed hull,
its rotted rudder,
its bright propeller
tarnishing beneath the sea.

'They sunk this ship
on purpose,'
says our guide-
which does not surprise
us,
knowing how life
always imitates
even the shabbiest
art.
Our brains forged
in shark & seawreck epics,
we fully expect to see
a wreck like this one,
made on purpose
for our eyes.

But the fish swim on,
intimating death,
intimating outer space,
& even the oceans
within the body
from which we come.

The fish are uninterested
in us.
What hubris to think
a shark concentrates
as much on us
as we on him!

The creatures of the reef
spell death, spell life,
spell eternity,
& still we putter on
in our leaky little boat,
halfway there,
halfway there.

poem by Erica Jong
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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