Honour and Praise

On a fine summers morning as we lay at the quay
While the holds were filled high with the treasures of the sea
So that they can be transported by men such as we
To the homeland and the Queen
When the loading was done we hoisted full sail
Prayed for good winds to guide us and deliverance from gales
And the thoughts of the crew turned to home and strong ale
As we cast off the ropes and set sail

Chorus
I for honour and for praise
Sailed the sea throughout my days
In cold ground I'll never lay
I'd rather die on the ocean, I'd rather die on the ocean

Thirty days out to sea and the weather was fine
With the wind that we'd prayed for and making good time
Well the honour of first home was soon to be mine
To the homeland and the Queen
But the night became stormy
And the wind changed our course
A gale was a-blowing and the wing gathered force
And I wondered if ever we would reach our home port
Or if we'd all be lost in the storm

Well the waves washed the deck in the wind we were locked
And I fought with the wheel to stay clear of the rocks
But the fighting's in vain in the storm we were lost
As my prayers blew away on the wind
Well I coughed and I choked and I tasted the sea
I looked over the sands there was no-one but me
And I knew that the might of the sea had finished me
And I wished that I'd drowned in the storm

So I live with the thoughts for the rest of my days
That I'd given the lives of the crew just to pay
In search of the garlands of honour and praise
And I wished that I'd drowned in the storm

© John Richards

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