39. The Sea Comes through the Timbers | Act V: The Chase and the Silence

[Verse 1]
The whale has struck; the water floods the hold,
I feel the boards beneath me shudder cold.
The seams burst open underneath the strain,
And every plank admits the surging main.

[Verse 2]
I shout my orders through the water's roar,
I hear it hammer on the cabin door.
I grasp a sailor's hand beside the rail,
And pull him clear as broken timbers fail.

[Chorus]
The sea comes through the timbers, cold and wide,
It claims the hold and rises with the tide.
I swore to bring these sailors safely home,
Now hear their cries dispersed across the foam.

[Verse 3]
I see the mast give way against the sky,
And hear the lines snap loose as timbers fly.
The decks that held our labour day by day,
Are breaking into pieces in the spray.

[Verse 4]
I see my wife beside our distant door,
And hear my child run laughing on the floor.
The life I hoped to hold beyond this sea,
Is farther now than any shore can be.

[Chorus]
The sea comes through the timbers, cold and wide,
It claims the hold and rises with the tide.
I swore to bring these sailors safely home,
Now hear their cries dispersed across the foam.

[Verse 5]
I saw the line seize Ahab in its flight,
Then watched the sea conceal him from my sight.
The man I begged to turn us home is gone,
And still the sea he challenged rages on.

[Verse 6]
I heard my conscience, yet I could not steer,
The captain from the course that led us here.
My duty now is living, breath by breath,
To reach the men still struggling against death.

[Chorus]
The sea comes through the timbers, cold and wide,
It claims the hold and rises with the tide.
I swore to bring these sailors safely home,
Now hear their cries dispersed across the foam.

[Outro]
The ship is falling; still I take my stand,
And grasp the ruined rail with shaking hand.
I call for those still breathing in the spray,
Before the rising sea can sweep them away.

2687/7500

[The Scene] With Ahab dragged to his death by the harpoon line, the mortally wounded Pequod begins her final descent beneath the waves. Seawater pours through the shattered hull as timbers break, masts collapse and the remaining sailors struggle desperately to survive. Still aboard, Starbuck attempts to maintain order and help his men, even as he recognises that the ship can no longer be saved. His thoughts turn to his wife and child waiting at home, and to the terrible fulfilment of the warnings he repeatedly gave his captain. The duty that has governed his life remains with him until the end, but he can no longer protect those entrusted to his care. As the sea overwhelms the Pequod, Starbuck's final hopes of returning home disappear, and his voice falls silent before the ship vanishes beneath the water. [Verse 1] The whale has struck; the water floods the hold, I feel the boards beneath me shudder cold. The seams burst open underneath the strain, And every plank admits the surging main. [Verse 2] I shout my orders through the water's roar, I hear it hammer on the cabin door. I grasp a sailor's hand beside the rail, And pull him clear as broken timbers fail. [Chorus] The sea comes through the timbers, cold and wide, It claims the hold and rises with the tide. I swore to bring these sailors safely home, Now hear their cries dispersed across the foam. [Verse 3] I see the mast give way against the sky, And hear the lines snap loose as timbers fly. The decks that held our labour day by day, Are breaking into pieces in the spray. [Verse 4] I see my wife beside our distant door, And hear my child run laughing on the floor. The life I hoped to hold beyond this sea, Is farther now than any shore can be. [Chorus] The sea comes through the timbers, cold and wide, It claims the hold and rises with the tide. I swore to bring these sailors safely home, Now hear their cries dispersed across the foam. [Verse 5] I saw the line seize Ahab in its flight, Then watched the sea conceal him from my sight. The man I begged to turn us home is gone, And still the sea he challenged rages on. [Verse 6] I heard my conscience, yet I could not steer, The captain from the course that led us here. My duty now is living, breath by breath, To reach the men still struggling against death. [Chorus] The sea comes through the timbers, cold and wide, It claims the hold and rises with the tide. I swore to bring these sailors safely home, Now hear their cries dispersed across the foam. [Outro] The ship is falling; still I take my stand, And grasp the ruined rail with shaking hand. I call for those still breathing in the spray, Before the rising sea can sweep them away.

0/500