Come gather, good folk, by the firelight’s glow, And hear of a boatman from long, long ago. Through tempest and tide, through storm and through spray, James Callow of Douglas stood bold in the bay. Verse 2 The waves they did whisper, the sea called his name, For twenty lost souls knew the light of his flame. From Broadway’s old pier on a cold, bitter night, A child fell deep, lost to shadow and fright. Chorus Oh, rise with the tide, hear the wind’s mournful wail, Sing for the boatman who’d never let fail. Through peril and danger, through water so wild, James Callow, the savior, the sea’s fearless child. From the gunwale he leapt, to the darkness below, The depths tried to steal her, the currents did flow. But Callow struck hard, like the thunder above, And freed her from death with a fisherman’s love. Verse 4 Then two little children were swept to the deep, The daughters of Douglas, their kin left to weep. Through the waves clad in cloth, he battled his way, With one ‘neath his arm and the other’s gown clenched, He carried them back from the clutch of the bay. Chorus Oh, rise with the tide, hear the wind’s mournful wail, Sing for the boatman who’d never let fail. Through peril and danger, through water so wild, James Callow, the savior, the sea’s fearless child. Verse 5 A father, a hero, a man of the sea, He asked for no medals, nor sought victory. "For saving a life is no glory or fame, It’s all in a day’s work," he humbly proclaimed. Verse 6 And so let us sing for the Callows so bold, For young John, his son, with a heart wrought of gold. He leapt for a lad in the river so wide, And carried him safe to the warm, golden side. Final Chorus Oh, rise with the tide, hear the wind’s mournful wail, Sing for the boatman who’d never let fail. Through peril and danger, through water so wild, James Callow, the savior, the sea’s fearless child. Outro Now echoes his name in the roll of the tide, His spirit still watches where sailors ab
