The Rowers Anthem

Verse 1: The Blacksmith)

I once hammered iron and worked the red coals,

With a roof o'er my head and a peace in my soul.

Now I’m pounding at rust on a deck made of ice,

And I’d give all the gold just to see my forge twice.

(Chorus)

(Call) I’d trade every jewel for a walk in the mud!

(Response) The sea only hungers for a drop of sailor's blood!

(Call) We’re ten miles from shore, in the wake of the flood!

(Response) And the sea only hungers for a drop of sailor's blood!

(Verse 2: The Tailor)

I sat on a bench with a needle and thread,

With a soft woolen blanket and wine for my bed.

Now my fingers are frozen, my needles are bone,

And I’m stitching a shroud for a man I’ve not known.

(Chorus)

(Call) I’d trade every jewel for a walk in the mud!

(Response) The sea only hungers for a drop of sailor's blood!

(Call) We’re ten miles from shore, in the wake of the flood!

(Response) And the sea only hungers for a drop of sailor's blood!

(Verse 3: The Priest)

I preached to the pews from a pulpit of oak,

Of a merciful God and the prayers that He spoke.

But there’s no holy mercy in hunger and gale,

And I’m cursed by the wind as I haul on the sail.

(Chorus)

(Call) I’d trade every jewel for a walk in the mud!

(Response) The sea only hungers for a drop of sailor's blood!

(Call) We’re ten miles from shore, in the wake of the flood!

(Response) And the sea only hungers for a drop of sailor's blood!

(Verse 4: The Thief)

I lived by the shadows and picked at the lock,

Thinking life was a misery down on the dock.

But a dungeon is warm and a cage has a floor,

And I’d crawl back to prison to see land once more.

(Chorus)

(Call) I’d trade every jewel for a walk in the mud!

(Response) The sea only hungers for a drop of sailor's blood!

(Call) We’re ten miles from shore, in the wake of the flood!

(Response) And the sea only hungers for a drop of sailor's blood! here