[Intro — Rain, irregular metallic dripping] [Barnacle — Male spoken baritone] Blackwater Broadcast, live from Titans Maw. The canvas is holding. The corner has other ambitions. [Captain Brine — Male bass, spoken] Can somebody move that tin? [Mara — Female spoken alto] Under which other leak? [One loud drip] [Accordion and stomps enter] [Verse 1 — Barnacle, male lead] We'd shifted every crate we owned To find a patch of dry. The roof was wearing borrowed cloth, The rain was passing by— Except one drop that missed the news And landed with a clang. I tried to read the opening line; The blooming bucket sang. [Verse 1 continued — Tack, male tenor] I folded up my dripping wings And perched beside the sound. I waited for a little gap— Another drop came down. I gave it one enormous note, It answered with a plink. [Mara — Female, dry reply] The first reporter on this show Who pauses long enough to think. [Chorus — Mara, female lead; crew responses] Let the drip have a solo! Let the old tin ring! [Crew] Clang, little corner, clang! [Mara] We've got rain above the rafters, Still got breath enough to sing. Brine, keep that tail off the doorway, Tack, leave room for the tune! There's a whole wet coast in Titans Maw— And four of us in this room. [Verse 2 — Captain Brine, male bass] My Deino tail was in the way; I curled it by the wall. I said, “I've heard a finer band, But not a cheaper hall.” Then Barnacle announced the act: “A wonder from the deep! A legendary silver voice!” [Tack — Male tenor] It's water in a tin. [Barnacle — Spoken] A correction for our listeners: It's water in a tin. [Brief silence] [One drip] [Mara — Female, laughing] And it's doing rather well. [Chorus — Mara, female lead; crew responses] Let the drip have a solo! Let the old tin ring! [Crew] Clang, little corner, clang! [Mara] We've got rain above the rafters, Still got breath enough to sing. Brine, keep that tail off the doorway, Tack, leave room for the tune! There's a whole wet coast in Titans Maw— And four of us in this room. [Instrumental — Eight bars of fiddle and accordion] [Metallic drip answers the fiddle] [Bridge — Instruments soften] [Mara — Female intimate lead] I closed the book and checked the shelf, Then checked the shelf again. Counted every little job Between the next two drops of rain. I'd like to hear a chorus through Without another thing to do. [Tack — Male, gentle spoken] I'll watch the tin. I'll tell you when it's nearly full. [Captain Brine — Male bass] I'll stay beside it. You can take your song. [Barnacle — Male spoken] For once, I've nothing else to add. [Bridge — Mara, female lead] Then leave a little room for me. Don't turn it into something grand. Just let me sing the second line Without a problem in the gap. [Verse 3 — Barnacle, male lead] So Tack kept one eye on the rim, And Brine stayed low beside. Mara sang a rising note Above the rain outside. She glanced toward the shelf once more, Then found her place again. We missed the beat, we caught the next, And called that good enough. [Tack — Male spoken] Not full yet. [Mara — Female spoken] Thank you. [Barnacle — Male spoken] And now, our featured soloist. [All instruments stop] [Two uneven drips] [Captain Brine — Male bass] Terrible sense of timing. [Final Chorus — Mara, full female lead; crew harmonies] Let the drip have a solo! Let the old tin ring! [Crew] Clang, little corner, clang! [Mara] I can leave the book a moment, I can stay here just to sing. Brine's got his tail by the timber, Tack's keeping watch on the tune— There's a whole wet coast in Titans Maw, But I've got help in this room. [Crew — Warm repeated refrain] Clang, little corner, clang! Leave her room to sing. Clang, little corner, clang! Let the old tin ring. [Outro — Music fades to rain] [Barnacle — Male spoken] Blackwater Broadcast. The roof still needs a proper repair. [Mara — Female spoken] The crossing's still closed. And yes, the old accounts still stand. [Captain Brine — Male bass] What does the bucket owe? [Mara — Female spoken] Nothing. It showed up and did its job. [Tack — Male tenor] Can we keep it in the band? [One drip] [Barnacle — Male spoken] We'll ask when it's finished. [End]
