The Decemberists - The Mariner's Revenge Song Lyrics
We are two marinersOur ship's sole survivorsIn this belly of a whaleIt's ribs are ceiling beamsIt's guts are carpetingI guess we have some time to killYou may not remember meI was a child of threeAnd you, a lad of eighteenBut, I remember youAnd I will relate to youHow our histories interweaveAt the time you wereA rake and a roustaboutSpending all your moneyOn the whores and hounds(oh, oh)You had a charming airAll cheap and debonairMy widowed mother found so sweetAnd so she took you inHer sheets still warm with himNow filled with filth and foul diseaseAs time wore on you provedA debt-ridden drunken messLeaving my motherA poor consumptive wretch(oh, oh)And then you disappearedYour gambling arrearsThe only thing you left behindAnd then the magistrateReclaimed our small estateAnd my poor mother lost her mindThen, one day in springMy dear sweet mother diedBut, before she didI took her hand as she, dying, cried:(oh, oh)"Find him, find himTie him to a pole and breakHis fingers to splintersDrag him to a hole until heWakes up *****Clawing at the ceilingOf his grave"It took me fifteen yearsTo swallow all my tearsAmong the urchins in the streetUntil a prioryTook pity and hired meTo keep their vestry nice and neatBut, never once in the employOf these holy menDid I ever, once turn my mindFrom the thought of revenge(oh, oh)One night I overheardThe prior exchanging wordsWith a penitent whaler from the seaThe captain of his shipWho matched you toe to tipWas known for one cruel deedThe following dayI shipped to seaWith a privateerAnd in the whistleOf the windI could almost hear(oh, oh)"Find him, find himTie him to a pole and breakHis fingers to splintersDrag him to a hole until heWakes up *****Clawing at the ceilingOf his graveThere is one thing I must say to youAs you sail across the seaAlways, your mother will watch over youAs you avenge this wicked deed"And then, that fateful nightWe had you in our sightAfter twenty months, it seemedYour starboard flank abeamI was getting my muskets cleanWhen came this rumbling from beneathThe ocean shookThe sky went blackAnd the captain quailedAnd before us grewThe angry jawsOf a giant whale(oh..)Don't know how I survivedThe crew all was chewed aliveI must have slipped between his teethBut, oh, what providenceWhat divine intelligenceThat you should surviveAs well as meIt gives my eye great joyTo see your eyes fill with fearTo lean in closeAnd I will whisperThe last words you'll hear(oh, oh)
