© Stuart Markus 1/18/21 (MLK Day)

’Twas a dark and a stormy curse of a day
In November of late ’92
And my soul was awoke in terrible way
        When black hands saved me from the blue, brave boys
        When black hands saved me from the blue

My shipmates had come from a bevy of lands
They called us a checker board crew.
And half of their words I could scarce understand
        When black hands saved me from the blue, brave boys
        When black hands saved me from the blue.

The Black-Jacks had tended to keep to themselves
As most of us tended to do
The French and the Irish and Yankees as well
        When black hands saved me from the blue, brave boys
        When black hands saved me from the blue.

But little it mattered when hauling a line,
A halyard, a brace or a clew
And it mattered less when aloft we did climb
        When black hands saved me from the blue, brave boys
        When black hands saved me from the blue.

T’was on the main royal, my hand lost its grip
In a moment I ever will rue
From the wobbling foot rope I started to slip
        When black hands saved me from the blue, brave boys
        When black hands saved me from the blue.

’Tis many a sailor his end he has found
And many good men overthrew
At 30 degrees, first you freeze, then you drown
        When black hands saved me from the blue, brave boys
        When black hands saved me from the blue.

But then a great strong hand did grip my arm tight
With a strength such as I never knew
I looked up and saw a face, dark as the night
        When black hands saved me from the blue, brave boys
        When black hands saved me from the blue.

I think I shall mess with the Black-Jacks today
It seems like the least I could do
For when facing the end, shallow things melt away
        When black hands saved me from the blue, brave boys
        When black hands saved me from the blue.

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Note: clew down, Nautical. to secure (a sail) in an unfurled position.
clew up, Nautical. to haul (the lower corners of a square-rig sail) up to the yard by means of the clew lines.
"Checker board" crews, who alternated watches, were common in early 19th Cent free or vagabond blacks went to sea, especially on the large number of packet ships carrying cotton to England.