22. Alone upon the Water | Moby-Dick Act III: The Price of the Chase

[Verse 1]
Another whale rose sudden through the spray,
The boat lurched hard, my courage fled away.
I leapt again beyond the wooden side,
And felt the cold close round me with the tide.

[Verse 2]
I called for help, their boat grew small and grey,
They followed where the whale had turned away.
His warning rang again, exact and clear,
The boat went on and left me with my fear.

[Chorus]
Alone upon the water, far from shore,
I call until my voice can sound no more.
The sky is vast, the waves are all I see,
And neither sky nor wave can answer me.

[Verse 3]
I floated where the sea had lost its end,
And searched the distance for a single friend.
No mast, no sail, no voice came into view,
Just endless water fading into blue.

[Verse 4]
I counted breaths, then lost the count of time,
The waves went on repeating one slow rhyme.
I heard my tambourine across the spray,
Its little bells a lifetime far away.

[Chorus]
Alone upon the water, far from shore,
I call until my voice can sound no more.
The sky is vast, the waves are all I see,
And neither sky nor wave can answer me.

[Verse 5]
At last I heard a cry across the foam,
And saw the Pequod come to bring me home.
Strong hands pulled me from water, cold and deep,
Yet still I felt its silence in my sleep.

[Verse 6]
The sailors spoke, I knew each face and name,
Yet none of them could make the world the same.
The boards were firm beneath my feet once more,
But I still heard the sea beneath the floor.

[Outro]
My tambourine lies quiet by my side,
I hear its little bells beyond the tide.
I live, but something in my heart has changed,
And all that once was near is rearranged.

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[The Scene] Despite Stubb’s warning, Pip panics during another whale hunt and leaps from the boat for a second time. This time, Stubb carries out his threat and continues the pursuit, leaving Pip alone in the open sea. As the whaleboat disappears, Pip is overwhelmed by the immense silence and emptiness surrounding him, with no certainty that anyone will return. When the Pequod eventually finds and rescues him, he is physically unharmed but profoundly changed. The cheerful boy who once entertained the crew with his tambourine now struggles to recognise the familiar world around him, his sense of safety and belonging shattered by abandonment. [Verse 1] Another whale rose sudden through the spray, The boat lurched hard, my courage fled away. I leapt again beyond the wooden side, And felt the cold close round me with the tide. [Verse 2] I called for help, their boat grew small and grey, They followed where the whale had turned away. His warning rang again, exact and clear, The boat went on and left me with my fear. [Chorus] Alone upon the water, far from shore, I call until my voice can sound no more. The sky is vast, the waves are all I see, And neither sky nor wave can answer me. [Verse 3] I floated where the sea had lost its end, And searched the distance for a single friend. No mast, no sail, no voice came into view, Just endless water fading into blue. [Verse 4] I counted breaths, then lost the count of time, The waves went on repeating one slow rhyme. I heard my tambourine across the spray, Its little bells a lifetime far away. [Chorus] Alone upon the water, far from shore, I call until my voice can sound no more. The sky is vast, the waves are all I see, And neither sky nor wave can answer me. [Verse 5] At last I heard a cry across the foam, And saw the Pequod come to bring me home. Strong hands pulled me from water, cold and deep, Yet still I felt its silence in my sleep. [Verse 6] The sailors spoke, I knew each face and name, Yet none of them could make the world the same. The boards were firm beneath my feet once more, But I still heard the sea beneath the floor. [Outro] My tambourine lies quiet by my side, I hear its little bells beyond the tide. I live, but something in my heart has changed, And all that once was near is rearranged.

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