Lyr Add: Mid-Watches (Burt Franklin Jenness)

Subject: Lyr Add: Mid-Watches (Burt Franklin Jenness)
From: Charley Noble
Date: 16 Mar 07 - 04:39 PM

I've been looking around for a memorial song for an old merchant marine friend who recently passed away. I've not sure I'll be able to get through this one leading it myself but it sure is spot on. It's from one of the Old Sailor-Poets that I've been featuring on a thread of that name, cobbling a tune together from Larry Kaplan's "Song for Gale" and Michael Burton's "Night Rider's Lament." Here's what it looks like for now (copy and paste into WORD/TIMES/12 to line up the chords):

MID-WATCHES

(Poem by Burt Franklin Jenness, from OCEAN HAUNTS, edited by Burt Franklin Jenness,
Empire Publishing Co., New York, US, © 1934, P. 73.
Adapted by Charlie Ipcar 3/16/07
Tune: inspired by "Song for Gale" by Larry Kaplan and "Night Rider's Lament" by Michael Burton)

Chorus:

-----------F------------------------------------C
And you climbed the old bridge, looked into the night,
----------F-----------------------------------C
And the wind and the spray stung your face;
------------F---------------------------C-------------Am
While the stars overhead were all dancing and bright,
----------G----------------G7--------C
And the ship plunged a-way into space.

C--------------------------------G------------G7
Will you ever forget the mid-watches at sea?
-----------C---------------------------G
How you tumbled out sleepy and dazed,
------F-------------------------------C-------------Am
And though you maneuvered as still as could be,
----G-------------G7----------C
Re-member the chorus you raised –
---------F--------------------------------C
As you bumped into hammocks, or stepped on a mate
------------F------------------------C
Who was caulking it off on the deck?
------------F--------------------------C------------Am
Then you hustled up forward for fear you'd be late,
------G------------------G7-----------------C
Your pea-coat pulled snug 'round your neck. (CHO)

Will you ever forget the long tricks at the wheel;
All your thoughts and your plans and your fears?
The things you'd imagine – the dangers you'd feel,
With the creaks and the groans of the gears;
How you'd wake with a snap from some dream of the shore,
As a comber loomed ahead ghostly pale,
Or you'd start at the crash and the thundering roar,
As a beam-sea swept over her rail? (CHO)

(Same as the chorus)

And didn't those hours seem lonelier, too,
When the moon and the stars went to bed,
And it seemed, sometimes, there was no one but you,
Sailing into that black hole ahead?

NOTES:

"Caulking it off" is old sailor slang for sleeping on deck. For inspections sailors would traditionally line up parallel to the caulked deck boards, and evidently when they were napping on deck they would do the same.

Cheerily,
Charley Noble

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Mid-Watches (Burt Franklin Jenness)
From: Charley Noble
Date: 18 Mar 07 - 10:51 AM

Here's a link to a MP3 sample of how I'm singing this one: Click here and search for lyrics!

Cheerily,
Charley Noble

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Mid-Watches (Burt Franklin Jenness)
From: Charley Noble
Date: 26 Mar 07 - 07:56 PM

I tried this one out at the John Rberts house concert at chez Sinsull and folks seemed to like it.

I've done a little more tinkering with the words but this one seems to be settling down:

Poem by Burt Franklin Jenness, from OCEAN HAUNTS, edited by Burt Franklin Jenness,
Empire Publishing Co., New York, US, © 1934, P. 73.
Adapted by Charlie Ipcar 3/16/07
Tune: inspired by "Song for Gale" by Larry Kaplan and "Night Rider's Lament" by Michael Burton
Key: C (7/F)

Mid-Watches

Chorus:

C--------F------------------------------------C
And you climbed the old bridge, looked into the night,
----------F-----------------------------------C
And the wind and the spray stung your face;
------------F---------------------------C-------------Am
While the stars overhead were all dancing and bright –
----------G----------------G7--------C
And the ship plunged a-way into space.

C--------------------------------G------------G7
Will you ever forget the mid-watches at sea?
-----------C---------------------------G
How you tumbled out sleepy and dazed,
------F-------------------------------C-------------Am
And though you maneuvered as still as could be –
----G-------------G7----------C
Re-member the ruckus you raised –
---------F--------------------------------C
As you bumped into hammocks, or stepped on a mate
------------F------------------------C
Who was caulking it off on the deck?
------------F--------------------------C------------Am
Then you hustled up forward for fear you'd be late –
------G------------------G7-----------------C
Your pea-coat pulled snug 'round your neck. (CHO)

Will you ever forget the long tricks at the wheel;
All your thoughts and your plans and your fears?
The things you'd imagine – the dangers you'd feel –
With the creak and the groan of the gears;
How you'd wake with a snap from some dream of the shore,
As a comber loomed ahead ghostly pale,
Or you'd start at the crash and the thundering roar –
As a beam-sea swept over the rail? (CHO)

(Same as the chorus)

And didn't those hours seem lonelier, too,
When the moon and the stars went to bed,
And it seemed, sometimes, there was no one but you –
Sailing into that black hole ahead?

We'll see how it works for a memorial service for an old sailor this weekend.

Cheerily,
Charley Noble

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Mid-Watches (Burt Franklin Jenness)
From: Charley Noble
Date: 22 Apr 07 - 05:21 PM

This song worked well for our old friend Joe Theriault, and I'm getting quite fond of it. I've now recorded a slightly revised version of it which is newly posted to my website.

I finally replaced "Who was caulking it off on the deck" with "who was doozing away on the deck" as being less distracting. My bandmates kept looking as if they were about to burst into loud guffaws, which kind of spoiled the mood of the song.

Cheerily,
Charley Noble

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Mid-Watches (Burt Franklin Jenness)
From: Deckman
Date: 23 Apr 07 - 08:26 AM

Charlie ...I just listened to your singing this piece. Very nicely done! I may have to learn it. Notice, I said "HAVE TO", as some songs are just so fine one has no choice but to learn them. Thanks so much for sharing. CHEERS, Bob