The Neptunes Daughter
Fifty fathoms ’neath the sea aboard the ‘Neptune’s Daughter’
The captain guards her secret in three hundred feet of water
For twenty years he floundered in a cell; Twas dank and cold
They let him out, he set about stealing ships and gold
The captain’s bones now walk the deck, three hundred years gone by
He never took a lifeboat and he’s never wondered why
A pirate in his lifetime of debauchery and pleasure
A pirate till the end when he went downwards with his treasure
The air was warm, there came a storm which livened up the swell
And all the crew were fearful of a sunken trip to hell
The captain had no fear of death or being food for fish
And so he called the mate and told him of his final wish
The captain had a little dog he always took to sea
The dog was taken by that ancient ancestor of me
He took the dog, the captain’s log and eventually
The captain’s log without the dog has found its way to me
My dad was in the navy, and my Grandpa before he
And all my grandpas going back two hundred years or three
But there’s an awful truth that scares the daylights out of me
The ocean wild took all the sailors in my family
Now, the captain’s log said, “There be gold a plenty in the hold.”
And many of my forbears went on missions that were bold
But the waves above the ‘Neptune’s Daughter’ took away their breath
And dragged their mortal souls down to a cold and murky death
But tales of old that mention gold, do things inside your head
And make a person reckless as he seeks the ocean bed
But as I’ve not been navy trained, I’m not a brainwashed man
And so I set about concocting my own master plan
The upturned bucket on my head is there so I can breathe
And this bit is the bit I know you ain’t gonna believe
In faith and hope I trust this rope will do as it is told
And take me safely to the hold I know is full of gold
I guess this won’t surprise you, but my plan was full of holes
I’m sitting on a shipwreck like a thousand mortal souls
The captain of the ‘Neptune’s Daughter’ deep beneath the seas
Said, “You shall dwell forever here to act upon my pleas.”
He said, “I prayed the fates would bring your carcass here to me,
The blood inside your veins gives you responsibility.”
Well, how was I supposed to know that I happened to be
Descended from the man who threw his dog into the sea?
He said, “You’ll scour the seven seas to find my dog for me.”
And then he introduced a crew of my own ancestry
So now I ‘sail’ the oceans with my ancient family
Aboard the ‘Neptune’s Daughter’ at the bottom of the sea
Copyright © Terry Flood | Year Posted 2023
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