Gordon Bok - Song of the wheelhouse door

^DmWinter's ice clings to cliff To ^Fbeach and empty ^Cshell The ^Dmgrey wind moans on the bones of the summer And ^Ftakes a slap at the ^Cbell And ^Dmall the boats are upside down Hull down on the ^Cshore ^DmParson G, Clarissa Lee That used-up, short-rigged ^Cwhore The ^BbLindy Lou with her sides stove through And her ^Fkeel all rotten and ^Ctore ^CAnd it's many a night when the wind's been right And the weather's been getting^Bb poor ^BbI try to sleep, but I can't sleep For the ^Fbanging of the wheelhouse ^Cdoor ^{Bb F C}

So I ^Dmlie in bed, like a kid, you know ^FHoping she'll go a^Cway But ^Dmno such luck, goddamn her bones So it's ^Fdown to the kitchen for ^Cme ^DmFind the old pipe and get it lit up Bring down the tea from the ^Cshelf ^DmIda's been gone since 'Sixty-One So I've ^Fhad to do for my^Cself And as ^Bbsoon as the smoke's curling over the book And the ^Ftea's getting ready to ^Cpour Then as sure as I stand, I can ^Bbhear Pete McCann And the ^Fbanging of the wheelhouse ^Cdoor ^{Bb F C}

^DmPete and me, we were headed home With ^Fhalf a catch in the ^Chold ^DmTryin' to raise the South Head light And, ^FJesus, did it ^Cblow By the ^Dmtime we heard the breakers We were too close in on to ^Cshore With a prayer and a curse, we ^Bbfelt her lurch As the ^Frocks dug in and ^Ctore And I got knocked off my feet, I ^Bbcouldn't find Pete I ^Fdon't recall much ^Cmore But ^BbLindy Lou, cryin' and dyin' And the ^Focean roaring ^Cthrough And the last thing I heard, the ^Bbnoise, not a word The ^Fbanging of the wheelhouse ^Cdoor ^{Bb F C}

I ^Dmwoke up four days later In a ^Fhospital in St ^CJohn's In a ^Dmbody cast, 'cause I hurt my back And they ^Ftold me Pete was ^Cgone They ^Dmnever found his body Though they searched ten miles of ^Cshore And ^Dmme, I'm alone and my back's gone And I ^Fcan't fish no ^Cmore And ^BbLindy Lou with her sides stove through She was ^Fdragged out on ^Cshore And there's many a night when the ^Bbwind's been right And the ^Fweather's been getting ^Cpoor I try to sleep, but I can't ^Bbsleep For the ^Fbanging of the wheelhouse ^Cdoor ^{Bb F C}