Mary Rose (a ghost shanty)

karvelD

Ten ‘n’ five hundred years afore,                          

     Henry fell’d a forest o’ trees.

Oak to make a ship o’ war,

      named for God ‘n’ Queen.

We helmed ‘er broadsides on th’ breeze,

     an’ sank ‘er keel in th’ Solent Sea.

Who was she, to lift King’s eye,                       

     who were we to so quickly die?

 

Chorus

Mary Rose, Mary Rose,

          Your salty life is mine.

Two castles strong, guns galore,

jeweled for King ‘n’ rigged for war.

 

I’m purser, aweighin’ the gold                   

Me scales ‘n’ coins are sunk in the hold

With our passing I’ll ne’er grow old

     Ahoy! what’s yer name?

 

I’m carpenter, mending the ship

My chests ‘n’ tools were pitched in th’ slip

With our plunge I’ll ne’er reship

     Mistress what’s your name?

Chorus     

                                                   

Ar’ dog’s a rogue, he gets the rats

He paced ’n’ pawed under th’ hatch

Our floodin’ was his last dispatch

     Ahoy! what’s yer name?

 

I’m ship’s pilot, I navigate

M’ compass ‘n’ charts ‘re soaked in the strait

She foundered fast, like a leaden weight

     Mistress what’s yer name?

Chorus

 

I’m archer, I bend th’ bow

My strings ‘n’ arrows are coffined below

Ship’s laid low, ‘n’ so ‘s me soul

     Ahoy! what’s yer name?

 

I’m the cook, I stew our meat

My ovens ‘r’ doused in th’ briny deep

A sunken galley is cold defeat

     Mistress what’s your name?

Chorus

 

I’m barber, I tend th’ ill

My combs ‘n’ blades run under th’ swell

With our plight I’ll ne’er resail

     Ahoy! what’s yer name?

 

I’m gunner, I fire th’ rounds

Cannons ‘r’ loose ‘n’ lost aground

From our blunder, I won’t rebound

     Mistress what’s your name?

Chorus

 

I’m bosun, boss o’ th’ deck

My pipes ‘n’ bones are fused to the wreck

With my men, I’ll choke in the black

     Ahoy! what’s yer name?

 

We’re sea-dawgs, we sing to th’ ropes

Our shanties ‘r’ bottled on barnacled slopes

Hand o’r hand, we haul’d dead hopes

      Mistress what’s your name?

Chorus

 

So, we set heavy sail, full to th’ wind                                      

     ‘n’ heeled gun holes below.

Nets o’ war trapped us within

     ‘n’ she scuttled our dam-ned bones.

We trimmed ‘er canvas on th’ breeze,

     ‘n’ drowned ‘er hull in th’ Solent Sea.

Who was she, to wet King’s eye,                                                           

     who were we to sorrily die?

Last Chorus – altered 2nd line to: “love us to the end”

 

 

  • Author: karvelD (Offline Offline)
  • Published: January 19th, 2022 08:11
  • Comment from author about the poem: In 1545 a real king of England stood on shore and watched his favorite warship sink in battle. 110 feet of oak ship sank in minutes and hundreds of men, and one dog, died with scarcely a breath. As in modern times, great efforts were made to understand the causes; with few conclusions.  500 long years later ship’s timbers and men’s bones were recovered.  Remains reveal she was modern with advanced weapons and features and she was sailed by an experienced crew of tough, normal people, living tough, normal lives. The ship and her crew now inspire stories greater than wars and Kings.  Their passing tells a compelling tale of daily work and play in a seafaring community, by teams working together.  Their tragedy is recognizable since the application of modern occupational knowledge reveals that their demise likely had many, if not all, of the same causes for modern events of similar magnitude.  This shanty comes from a deep respect of their humanity and an appreciation for a distant glimpse into their fascinating lives.       
  • Category: Unclassified
  • Views: 29
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Comments1

  • screaming goat.

    This deserves so much more likes than it got. You ever thought of putting music behind it?

    • karvelD

      Hi and thanks for the note. I actually sing it to myself for fun but I'm not very musical. I do believe a crew of shanty-men could do a wonderful job of it, vocals only, but I'm also light on singing sailors at the moment lol

      • screaming goat.

        you could ask someone to duet it or something on tiktok



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