The Thresher Lyrics

      Bm                F#       Bm
In Portsmouth town on the eastern shore
      Em          A       F
Where many a fine ship was born.
    Bm          G
The Thresher was built
         F#          Bm
And the Thresher was launched
         Em          A          F#
And the crew of the Thresher was sworn.
          Bm          G
She was shaped like a tear
          F#          Bm
She was built like a shark
         Em          A       F#
She was made to run fast and free.
          Bm                   G
And the builders shook their hands
         F#                   Bm
And the builders shared their wine,
       Em                  A          F#
And thought that they had mastered the sea.


      Bm                F#
Yes, she'll always run silent
    Em                F#
And she'll always run deep
            Em          Bm
Though the ocean has no pity
          A                F#
Though the waves will never weep
               Bm
They'll never weep.



And they marvelled at her speed

marvelled at her depth

marvelled at her deadly design.

And they sailed to every land

And they sailed to every port

Just to see what faults they could find.

Then they put her on the land

For nine months to stand

And they worked on her from stem to stern.

But they could never see

It was their coffin to be

For the sea was waiting for their return.



Yes, she'll always run silent

And she'll always run deep

Though the ocean has no pity

And the waves will never weep

They'll never weep.



On a cold Wednesday morn

They put her her out to sea

When the waves they were nine feet high.

And they dove beneath the waves

And they dove to their graves

And they never said a last goodbye.

And its deeper and deeper

And deeper they dove

Just to see what their ship could stand.

But the hull gave a moan

And the hull gave a groan

And they plunged to the deepest darkest sand.



Now she lies in the depths

Of the darkened ocean floor

Covered by the waters cold and still.

Oh can't you see the wrong

She was a death ship all along

Died before she had a chance to kill.



[Final Chorus Same but in past tense].



[Alternate final verse from an early Broadside tape]



And it's 8000 fathoms of the water above

And over 100 men below

And sealed in their tomb

Is the cause of their doom

That only the sea will ever know



Phil Ochs

Only the time elapsed since the disaster make this song irrelevant to today's youngsters. It's history like many other folk songs and should not be forgotten.
Giok

Record details