20. The Line around My Throat | Moby-Dick Act III: The Price of the Chase

[Verse 1]
The boat kicks hard beneath the sudden strain,
I leap in fear into the heaving main.
The line whips round and catches at my throat,
I thrash beneath the shadow of the boat.

[Verse 2]
It draws so tight I cannot find my breath,
The sea around me feels as cold as death.
I kick and claw, but nothing sets me free,
The rope and water close themselves on me.

[Chorus]
Cut the line, cut the line, it's drawing tight,
I cannot free myself with all my might.
I hear the blade, then feel the pressure cease,
The rope falls loose and gives my body peace.

[Verse 3]
I hear men's voices breaking through the roar,
I see the gunwale close to me once more.
Hands pull me up from water, rope and spray,
I gasp and watch the black sea fall away.

[Verse 4]
I shake so hard my hands can scarcely hold,
The wind that felt alive now bites with cold.
I thought the sea was wide but somehow kind,
Now darkened water circles in my mind.

[Chorus]
Cut the line, cut the line, it's drawing tight,
I cannot free myself with all my might.
I hear the blade, then feel the pressure cease,
The rope falls loose and gives my body peace.

[Verse 5]
No rope now binds me, still I feel it near,
Its vanished weight has settled into fear.
I grip the boat and listen to the sea,
The water sounds much larger now to me.

[Verse 6]
I lived because the line was cut in time,
Yet still I taste the salt, the fear, the brine.
One leap has changed the ocean's open face,
And left a deeper shadow in its place.

[Outro]
I climb aboard, but still the waters shout,
And every breath remembers getting out.
I was a boy who laughed the fear away,
Now something in that laughter shakes today.

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[The Scene] After the violence of the hunt and the disorienting labour of the try-works, the danger turns suddenly upon Pip himself. Sent out in the whaleboat, he panics and leaps into the sea, only to become caught in the running line as it tightens around him. For a few terrifying moments he is trapped between rope, boat and open water until the line is cut and he is hauled back aboard. He survives, but the experience leaves him shaken and gives the sea a new and frightening meaning that will shape what follows. [Verse 1] The boat kicks hard beneath the sudden strain, I leap in fear into the heaving main. The line whips round and catches at my throat, I thrash beneath the shadow of the boat. [Verse 2] It draws so tight I cannot find my breath, The sea around me feels as cold as death. I kick and claw, but nothing sets me free, The rope and water close themselves on me. [Chorus] Cut the line, cut the line, it's drawing tight, I cannot free myself with all my might. I hear the blade, then feel the pressure cease, The rope falls loose and gives my body peace. [Verse 3] I hear men's voices breaking through the roar, I see the gunwale close to me once more. Hands pull me up from water, rope and spray, I gasp and watch the black sea fall away. [Verse 4] I shake so hard my hands can scarcely hold, The wind that felt alive now bites with cold. I thought the sea was wide but somehow kind, Now darkened water circles in my mind. [Chorus] Cut the line, cut the line, it's drawing tight, I cannot free myself with all my might. I hear the blade, then feel the pressure cease, The rope falls loose and gives my body peace. [Verse 5] No rope now binds me, still I feel it near, Its vanished weight has settled into fear. I grip the boat and listen to the sea, The water sounds much larger now to me. [Verse 6] I lived because the line was cut in time, Yet still I taste the salt, the fear, the brine. One leap has changed the ocean's open face, And left a deeper shadow in its place. [Outro] I climb aboard, but still the waters shout, And every breath remembers getting out. I was a boy who laughed the fear away, Now something in that laughter shakes today.

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