Twas a slumbrous day aboard the brig All free of care or doubt When from astern the fateful cry: “Stand by to come about!” “Helm’s alee!” our captain yells And over goes the wheel, And down below the rudder turns And slowly shifts our keel. Then “Spanker ‘midships!” comes the cry The quarterdeck’s a-scramble “Step lively, crew!” our captain warns, “Let’s make it worth the gamble!” And now the foc’s’cle springs to life For it’s “Ease the headsail sheets!” And soon there is a gentle luff Where wind and headsail meets. “Rise tacks and sheets on the fore”--At last! At bunts and clews we strain! And as the bow swings toward the wind, It’s “Rise tacks and sheets on the main!” Then “Back the headsails,” comes the cry; The foc’s’cle crew leaps back To catch the wind on the other side And help us make our tack. O now what we’ve been waiting for! O now that sacred call! Our captain gathers up his voice For a loud long “Mainsail haul!” Then “Slack away the spanker sheet!” And the big sail spills her wind; Now the breeze is on the other side And the jibs tug at their pins. It’s time to “Shift the headsail sheets, And shift the staysails too.” And then – O then – “Let go and haul!” Thou burly foremast crew! We holds our lines and waits to hear The sweet call from astern ‘Til “Rudder ‘midships!” comes the cry And we know we’ve made the turn. All care and tension is dispersed Again we smile and laugh. “Set the mainsail!” come the happy words And the mainsheet is hauled aft. “Helm full and by! And set the fore! Hell, set the whole damn stack!” There’s joy aboard Syren now– Today we nailed our tack!
Posted on: Sat, 07 Sep 2013 06:38:55 +0000
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