Title: Cries In the Bulkhead - Part II [Verse 1 - somber, slow] Storm rolled in, off the coast, black water rising, We lost a 53 that night, with fine Marines aboard. We ate with them, played ball, played cards, And just like that... they were gone. [Chorus - tense, drums enter] Searchlights on the water, looking for debris, All the ships circling where they thought they'd be, Flashlights shaking, mood soured, heavy sea, But the ocean don't give up what she keeps. [Verse 2 - whisper, close, bunk sounds] Bottom rack, totem pole, four bunks above me, Can't sleep, waves pounding on the hull. But that pounding... it wasn't right. That wasn't the sea outside... that was inside. [SFX: Thump. Thump-thump. Thump. - rhythmic knocking on steel] [Hook - spoken, urgent] Thump... thump-thump... thump. Three short, three long, three short. SOS... SOS... Right by my head, inside the bulkhead. [Chorus - haunting] They said I was mad, said I was hearing things, Said it's the pipes, it's stress, it's the ship settling. Mahone's lost it, short-timer hearing ghosts, But I knew what I heard, and it was getting weak.
