Shape Up or Ship Out

At a teen I signed on the lakers, chasing waves and wind,
Out on open water, where the waves pulled me in,
We’d haul the lines at sunrise, then push on through the night,
Salt spray on sunburned skin, everything felt right.

We drank like thirsty ghosts when shore leave came around,
Spun yarns of storms and ships that never made a sound,
Some tales grew tall as masts, but truth was close behind,
The sea can twist a tale and play tricks on the mind.

(Chorus)
Shape up or ship out, that’s the call of the sea,
Stand your ground or drown, that’s how life’s gonna be,
When the pressure rolls in like a fast-rising tide,
You either learn to stand or you get swept aside.

I’ve seen the sunrise burn through fog on open sea,
And sunsets bleed out gold past where the eye can see,
Lake Superior roared, waves rising mountain-high,
A gale could shake your soul and make a grown man cry.

We rode out wicked blows, battened tight and fast,
The rigging sang all night, praying it would last,
Like stories of the Fitz, when cold November came,
We dropped the hook and thanked the Lord we stayed the same.

(Chorus)
Shape up or ship out, that’s the call of the sea,
Stand your ground or drown, that’s how life’s gonna be,
When the pressure rolls in like a fast-rising tide,
You either learn to stand or you get swept aside.

Now brothers of the tide, still etched within my heart,
From decks and stormy nights, we’ll never drift apart,
Through every port we knew, those bonds would still hold true,
Once you are a sailor, life always sails with you.

(Bridge)
When the wind turns hard and the sky goes black,
You trust your crew, there’s no turning back,
Through every swell and every rolling wave,
It’s the hands beside you that make you brave.

(Chorus)
Shape up or ship out, that’s the call of the sea,
Stand your ground or drown, that’s how life’s gonna be,
When the pressure rolls in like a fast-rising tide,
You either learn to stand or you get swept aside.
Shape up or ship out, that’s the call of the sea,
Stand your ground or drown, that’s how life’s gonna be,
When the pressure rolls in like a fast-rising tide,
You either learn to stand or you get swept aside.

Pop rock folk 
Storytelling vibe 
Medium to fast Tempo 
Male singers