Deep Channel

Cold salt spray hits the glass along the wooden prow No place for second-guessing or hesitation now I keep both hands locked upon the timber wheel Feeling every swell that runs along the keel Jagged volcanic rocks are waiting on the left and right Foam cresting white against the falling evening light The inexperienced panic when the swells begin to rise I track the water movement through my own discerning eyes (Steady the wheel) The tide is running fierce across the narrow sound Keep the compass straight until we reach the safer ground Stand shoulder to shoulder, do not let your courage flinch Hold the vessel steady in the deep channel We don't panic when the rolling waters swell Know the rocky bottom and the hidden reef Bring the whole crew through beyond the grief (Deep channel) Hold the vessel steady in the deep channel We don't panic when the rolling waters swell Paper navigation chart pinned with a copper coin Marking where the open sea and coastal waters join They wanted us to founder in the shallow breaker zone Leaving men stranded out upon the shoals alone We know the depth and current like the back of our own hand Navigating clean until we spot the timbered land No false distress signals, no crying for relief We cut the straightest pathway through the middle of the reef (Cut the path) The tide is running fierce across the narrow sound Keep the compass straight until we reach the safer ground Stand shoulder to shoulder, do not let your courage flinch Hold the vessel steady in the deep channel We don't panic when the rolling waters swell Know the rocky bottom and the hidden reef Bring the whole crew through beyond the grief (Deep channel) Hold the vessel steady in the deep channel We don't panic when the rolling waters swell Turn the page. Next chapter. Hold the vessel steady in the deep channel We don't panic when the rolling waters swell Know the rocky bottom and the hidden reef Bring the whole crew through beyond the grief (Deep channel) Hold the vessel steady in the deep channel We don't panic when the rolling waters swell Deep channel Safe passage Unshaken