The Flying Dutchman

The wind through the rigging howled As we were tossed about Waves so high you could be buried at sea To the bottom sunk in a trice Fools we were to be out here To think, outrun the weather Caught we were in the storm of storms These waves as high as mountains But on we sailed, now too late Our only hope was prayer Myself I lashed to the wheel To steer us out of trouble My wife and child before my eyes Gave reason for this battle The crew they too had families For them all I was trying My eyes sore from all the spray Was this some sort of imagination What other ship would be fool enough On a day like this to out venture Yet there she was, all fully rigged Sailing against the weather It seemed there were no souls aboard The ship ghostly in appearance As she drew close to me I could see the crew aboard her Twas skeletons dressed in rags With the Captain giving orders On passing I could hear the wails Begging and pleading for mercy The stench that came from the passing ship A smell so rotten and putrid I prayed to all the gods I knew That we would not be just like her There are some things worse than death And one had just passed me How we managed to survive the night I have no understanding Came break of day the weather changed The rest was fair weather sailing We entered port and went our way Not one word of this was told Survived we had, our luck held Would break if of this was spoken And to this day I still recall As I smoke my pipe by fire Chills still run up and down my spine The ghostly ship with the deathly crew