Ralph McTell - Around the wild cape horn

^GI was born a land-bound ^Cfarm ^Gboy and ^Emin New ^DEngland ^Craised, The rippling of the ^Gwheat fields, well they ^Emwere my ocean ^Dwaves. Each ^Gcry and call, each ^Crise and ^Gfall, of the ^Emcrows a-^Dcross the ^Ccorn Were seagulls ^Gswooping a-^Dcross the ^Gbow, of a ^Cship I dreamed I’^Emd sail ^Da-round Cape ^GHorn.

^GMy deck was the dusty ^Cfarm ^Gyard, my ^Emmast was the ^Dtelegraph ^Cpole And the windblow choir in the ^Gtelephone wire was the ^Emcall heard in my ^Dsoul ^GAnd it seemed to ^Chave been ^Gsinging ^Emsince the day that ^DI was ^Cborn I'm gonna take a ^Gtrip on a ^Dsailing ^Gship, ^Call the way ^Emaround the ^Dwild Cape ^GHorn

^GWell I found that ship in ^CHam^Gburg, her ^Emname it ^Dwas Peki^Cng Our skipper’s name wa^Gs Captain Jürs, and I^Em’d never met a man ^Dlike him. ^GHe pulled two men out ^Cfrom the ^Gsea, by the ^Emhair, in a ^Draging ^Cstorm. And he kept that ^Ggrip on a ^Dsailing ^Gship, ^Call the way ^Emaround the ^Dwild Cape ^GHorn.

^DWell its four hours on and its four hours off ^Amand you sleep in your wet ^Cclothes The only dry thing ^Gon the ship is the ^Ccargo ^Emdown be^Dlow ^GEleven thousand ^Cmiles we ^Gsailed, ^Emnigh on one ^Dhundred ^Cdawns ^GThirty two ^Dsails on a ^Gheaving ^Cship, pulling us ^Emaround the ^Dwild cape ^Ghorn

^GWell the cargo weighed five ^Cthousand ^Gtons, the ^Emship three ^Dthousand ^Cmore. An acre of sail ^Gwas up aloft, some ^Emseventeen storeys ^Dtall. ^GAnd we had a pig, and a ^Cscruffy ^Gdog and a ^Emturkey ^Dfed on ^Ccorn. ^GAnd willing ^Dhands who ^Gcatch the ^Cwind, hauling us ^Emaround the ^Dwild Cape ^GHorn.

^GFor seventeen days we ^Cwere ^Gbecalmed and then ^EmFriday ^Dthe thirt^Ceenth Sixty eight great ^Gships were lost in the ^Emstorm of the ^Dcentury. ^GBut we were swept into the ^CAtlanti^Gc, on a ^Emsun-lit ^Dsparkling ^Cmorn, ^GThe turkey got ^Dsick, so we ^Gate him ^Cquick, on the way ^Emaround the ^Dwild Cape ^GHorn.

^DWell she had us sort of hypnotised, no ^Amtime to catch our ^Cbreath, If you want to feel ^Greal alive, well you ^Chave to ^Emflirt with ^Ddeath. ^GSail close to the ^Charnessed ^Gwind, and ^Emtreat all ^Drisks with ^Cscorn ^GA farm boy ^Dand an ^Gun-yoked t^Ceam, ploughed their way ^Emaround the ^Dwild Cape ^GHorn.

^GNow on that voyage we ^Clost two ^Gboys, they ^Emgot thrown ^Doverb^Coard. Silence from us ^Gdown below, no ^Emone could put in ^Dwords. ^GTwo empty bunks to ^Cmark the ^Gspace in ^Emour young ^Dlives to ^Cmourn, ^GVoids ^Dbetween all ^Glife and ^Cdeath, on the way ^Emaround the ^Dwild Cape ^GHorn

^GAnd mountain waves, like ^Cava^Glanches ^Emcrashed ^Dupon the ^Cdecks, The screaming winds snapped ^Gropes and spars, and ^Emtried to have us ^Dwrecked. ^GBut she rose and fell through ^Cfoam and ^Gswell, her ^Emsails were ^Dripped and ^Ctorn ^GEight thousand ^Dtons ^Gtossed like a ^Ccork, on the way ^Emaround the ^Dwild Cape ^GHorn.

^DAnd she had us sort of hypnotised, no ^Amtime to catch our ^Cbreath, If you want to feel ^Greal alive, well you ^Chave to ^Emflirt with ^Ddeath. ^GSail close to the ^Charnessed ^Gwind, and ^Emtreat all ^Drisks with ^Cscorn ^GA farm boy ^Dand an ^Gun-yoked t^Ceam, ploughed their way ^Emaround the ^Dwild Cape ^GHorn. ^GWell, a farm boy ^Dand ^Gun-yoked ^Cteam, ploughed their way ^Emaround the ^Dwild Cape ^GHorn.