Gordon Bok - The wreck of the green cove

I was broke in ^Dold Van^Acouver Met a mate, an ^Eall-time loser ^AHe said he could ^Dhelp me out So to the ^Atugboat office ^Ewe set ^Aout ^{E A D}Right away, they ^Asaid, "Me boy, We'll ^Esign you up this ^Avery day" So ^Dto the harbour, unsus^Apectin' ^ERidin' high, I made my ^Away ^{E A}

When first I saw the ^Dold Green ^ACove Her keel was bent, her ^Epipes were stoved The ^Adecks were leaking ^Don the bunks And the ^Apaint was peelin' ^Eoff in ^Achunks ^{E A} The ^Dengine-room was thick with ^Agrease The ^Estack with rust, was eaten ^Athrough ^DDeck-head, it was all a ^Ashambles ^ETowline broken right in ^Atwo ^{E A}

I went aboard and the ^Dmate was ^Adrunk The skipper passed out ^Ein his bunk The ^Achief was in an awful ^Dpain With a ^About of the rheuma^Etis a^Again ^{E A D}In despair, I wandered ^Aaft The ^Ebilge in the galley ^Awas knee-deep ^DDirty dishes in the ^Asink And the rats around the ^Eshelves did ^Acreep ^{E A}

I'll never know how we ^Dmade it ^Aout From the dockside in and ^Eround about Past ^ABrockton Point in a terrible ^Dfog The ^AGreen Cove ridin' ^Elike a ^Alog ^{E A} But the ^Dfog in the mate's be^Afuddled mind Was ^Ethicker than it was out^Aside As ^Dat the wheel he weaved and ^Aswayed ^EWe set out on our fateful ^Aride ^{E A}

That night as I heard the ^Dmate a-^Asnorin' Keeping time to ^Eteredos borin' I ^Atried my darnedest not to ^Dthink Of the ^Along ride down if the ^Eboat should ^Asink ^{E A D}Late that night, a storm come ^Aup The ^Epump gave out and the ^Aseas come in And ^DI had to pump her out by ^Ahand And I ^Eswore, by god, that the sea would ^Awin ^{E A E A}

By luck we reached our ^Ddesti^Anation A windswept ^Ebay, sheer desolation ^ABlowin' hard, ^Dblowin' cold ^AColdest night of the ^Eyear, I'm ^Atold ^{E A} We ^Dtied the tug up to the ^Atow There wasn't much ^Eelse that we could ^Ado The ^Dskipper says, "Boys, let 'er ^Ablow We'll ^Epatch her up as good as ^Anew" ^{E A}

Well, three days passed and the ^Dwind died ^Adown We set off towin' ^Elogs to town But a ^Amightier wind was yet to ^Dblow But how in the ^AHell were ^Ewe to ^Aknow? ^{E A} But ^Dold Dame Fortune served us ^Awell As ^Epast the Refuge we did ^Awind Po^Dtato Point and Harwood ^AIsland ^ETowin' logs and makin' ^Atime ^{E A}

But this good luck that we ^Dcould not ^Amatch Gave out when we reached the ^ECabbage Patch Down ^AMalaspina we did ^Dtrail A ^Awesterly u^Epon our ^Atail ^{E A} We ^Drounded Scotch Fir, turned up ^AJervis ^EBuckin' tide all ^Aon the way ^DMade poor time over Aga^Amemnon ^EHad to tie up in Boom ^ABay ^{E A}

Well, the wind died down and ^Dwe set ^Aoff But the engine soon be^Egan to cough And the ^Amatched-up seams be^Dgan to leak And the ^Aold boat she did ^Egroan and ^Acreak ^{E A} Oh, ^Dwe was desperate, low on ^Avittles ^EHad some coffee ^Aand some tea And a ^Ddozen cans of Campbell's ^Afinest ^EChicken Noodle and Green ^APea ^{E A}

Off Merry Island, ^Dlate that ^Anight A storm come down, it ^Ewas a fright Trail ^AIslands we knew ^Dwe must reach Or the ^Atow would soon be ^Eon the ^Abeach ^{E A} But the ^Dskipper he was reading ^AClimax ^EMissed the channel ^Ain the dark With a ^Dsickenin' grindin' and a ^Acrash He'd ^Epiled her up on the Southeast ^ARock ^{E A}

He piled her up, he ^Dbent her ^Awheel He cracked her sternpost, ^Ebroke her keel And ^Aoff that rock we ^Dfelt her slide With a ^Asickenin' list to the ^Estarboard ^Aside ^{E A} Well, the ^Dwinds did howl and the seas did ^Aroar And the ^EGreen Cove she went ^Athree times round ^DWhistled us a last fare^Awell And ^Eslithered forty fathoms ^Adown ^{E A E A}

Now the skipper and the mate grabbed the ^Donly ^Alifeboat Rowed like Hell from the ^Esinking tugboat ^ARowin' hard for the ^Dnearest land The ^Alast they were seen by ^Ewoman or ^Aman ^{E A} And the ^Dchief, that skunk from Campbell ^ARiver ^EGrabbed the life-rings, ^Aone, two, three ^DLeft me there with a hemlock ^Asliver ^ETossin' round on the stormy ^Asea ^{E A}

I was washed up at the ^Dbreak of ^Aday Along the shores of ^ESargent Bay The ^Aonly survivor of that ^Dgale That's ^Aleft to tell this ^Emournful ^Atale ^{E A} And ^Dnow that you have heard my ^Astory You'll know why, for^Eever ^Amore ^DI'll never go to sea a^Again I'm ^Equite contented here on ^Ashore ^{E A}