The Devil’s Wake

[Verse 1]
We slipped from the spit in the gray of the dawn
Capstan creaked low as we hauled
Salt in our teeth and the tar in our lungs
Answering nobody’s call
Name on the bow had been hammered away
Like someone had something to hide
Only the gulls and the powder-black waves
Knew who we were that tide
[Chorus]
Heave
My lads
For the devil’s wake
Pull that rope till your shoulders break
If the sea wants blood
It’s the sea that takes
Row
You bastards
Row
Row
You bastards
Row
[Verse 2]
First watch I saw him stand aft by the rail
Eyes like a lantern gone cold
Captain they called him
But whispers below
Spoke softer
Of silver and gold
Chart on his table was spotted with stains
Red that no rain ever cleared
Each little cross where a good ship went down
Marked by the bones of his peers
[Chorus]
Heave
My lads
For the devil’s wake
Pull that rope till your shoulders break
If the sea wants blood
It’s the sea that takes
Row
You bastards
Row
Row
You bastards
Row
[Bridge]
Storm took our mast like a toy in its hand
Barrels broke loose in the black
Captain just laughed as the sea climbed aboard
“Pay what you owe
Don’t look back”
Flash of his grin as the lightning came down
Showed more than a man in his face
Swore on my soul as I clung to that rope
I’d seen hell’s master made flesh in that place
[Chorus]
Heave
My lads
For the devil’s wake
Pull that rope till your shoulders break
If the sea wants blood
It’s the sea that takes
Row
You bastards
Row
Row
You bastards
Row
[Outro]
So if you sight canvas that carries no name
Turn your own keel from her track
Some debts are deeper than any man’s grave
Some captains never come back
Heave
My lads
For the devil’s wake
Row
And don’t look back

folk, Gritty acoustic sea shanty in a minor key, baritone male lead with gruff chorus gang vocals. Stomps and oar-like claps drive a strict rowing pulse, frame drum and low fiddle drones underpin the verses. Call-and-response hooks in the chorus swell with stacked harmonies; final pass pushes the vocal into a raw, shouted climax over droning fiddle and bodhrán thump., acoustic, ballad, shanty, vocal, rhythmic