THE SAILOR'S PRAYER
(Rod MacDonald)

Though my sails be torn and tattered
And the mast be turned about
Let the night wind chill me to my very soul
Though the spray might sting my eyes
And the stars no light provide
Give me just another morning light to hold

CHORUS
And I will not lie me down, this rain a-raging
I will not lie me down in such a storm
And if this night be unblessed, I shall not take my rest
Till I reach another shore

Though the only water left
Is but salt to wound my thirst
I will drink the rain that pours so steady down
And though night's blindness be my gift,
And there be thieves upon my drift
I will praise this fog that shelters me along.
CHORUS

Though my mates be drained and weary
And believe our hopes are lost
There's no need for their bones on that blackened bottom
And though Death waits just off the bow,
They shall not answer to him now
He shall stand to face the morning with them.
CHORUS

By Rod MacDonald
©1982 Blue Plate Music

Notes: Rod sings this accapella song on his own record due out this summer. It's a favorite of Gordon Bok's. Our's too. It's been recorded three other times: Lisa Neustadt and Jean Redpath did it on their Philo album, Free hot Lunch did it on "Wa-Ha Music" on Mountain Railroad and Happy Traum just recorded it for Homespun Tapes.

Copied (uncorrected) from Sing Out! Magazine, Volume 29, Number 3, July/Aug/Sept 1983, page 25.

from Joe Offer: I put the parts that are different from the Digital Tradition in bold. Some things from Sing Out! seem better than what's in the DT, but the last line in Sing Out! just seems wrong, very wrong. The Fast Folk magazine has it "face the morning without them," and then it makes sense.