A song of hope - "The Mary Ellen Carter" by Stan Rogers

[benburch]

The Mary Ellen Carter

By Stan Rogers

She went down last October in a pouring driving rain.
The skipper, he'd been drinking and the Mate, he felt no pain.
Too close to Three Mile Rock, and she was dealt her mortal blow,
And the Mary Ellen Carter settled low.
There were five of us aboard her when she finally was awash.
We'd worked like hell to save her, all heedless of the cost.
And the groan she gave as she went down, it caused us to proclaim
That the Mary Ellen Carter would rise again.

Well, the owners wrote her off; not a nickel would they spend.
She gave twenty years of service, boys, then met her sorry end.
But insurance paid the loss to them, they let her rest below.
Then they laughed at us and said we had to go.
But we talked of her all winter, some days around the clock,
For she's worth a quarter million, afloat and at the dock.
And with every jar that hit the bar, we swore we would remain
And make the Mary Ellen Carter rise again.

Rise again, rise again, that her name not be lost
To the knowledge of men.
Those who loved her best and were with her till the end
Will make the Mary Ellen Carter rise again.

All spring, now, we've been with her on a barge lent by a friend.
Three dives a day in hard hat suit and twice I've had the bends.
Thank God it's only sixty feet and the currents here are slow
Or I'd never have the strength to go below.
But we've patched her rents, stopped her vents, dogged hatch and
porthole down.
Put cables to her, 'fore and aft and birded her around.
Tomorrow, noon, we hit the air and then take up the strain.
And watch the Mary Ellen Carter Rise Again.

For we couldn't leave her there, you see, to crumble into scale.
She'd saved our lives so many times, living through the gale
And the laughing, drunken rats who left her to a sorry grave
They won't be laughing in another day. . .
And you, to whom adversity has dealt the final blow
With smiling bastards lying to you everywhere you go
Turn to, and put out all your strength of arm and heart and brain
And like the Mary Ellen Carter, rise again.

Rise again, rise again - though your heart it be broken
And life about to end
No matter what you've lost, be it a home, a love, a friend.
Like the Mary Ellen Carter, rise again.

[uberblonde]

1. I've always loved this song.

I was lucky enough to hear Stan Rogers live before he died.

[TomInTib]

6. I heard him hundreds of times

see #5

[CrazyOrangeCat]

2. Great song.

I've got a recording of Liam Clancy and Tommy Makem doing that one.

Never, ever give up.

[bagimin]

3. Stan was the best

wish he was still with us.

[TomInTib]

5. He was, at that..

He was also my cousin and he died a hero's death.

[benburch]

9. He certainly did.

He made a difference with his last minutes.

[saltpoint]

4. This song is a masterpiece. And Stan Rogers sung the holy hell out of it

too.

Tremendous lyrics.

"And you to whom adversity has dealt the final blow
With smilin' bastards lying to you everywhere you go
Turn to, and put up all your strength of arm and heart and brain
And like THE MARY ELLEN CARTER, rise again!"

You bet.

Thanks for this post, benburch.

[TomInTib]

7. He sang the hell out of everything..

see #5.

I still get all teary thinking about him.

[saltpoint]

8. He did. Just a terrific performer with great music.

I also like Rogers' song:

"And I tell these kids a hundred times
Don't take the Lakes for granted
They go from calm to a hundred knots
So fast they seem enchanted

And tonight some red-eyed Wierton girl
Lies staring at the wall
For her lover's gone into a white squall..."

("White Squall")

Canada has produced some tremendous songwriters.

Your cousin! I had no idea. He is so greatly missed.

[TomInTib]

10. And a hell-raiser without peer.

Nothing like hanging out and raising Cain with the biggest, sweetest and most charming guy in the place.

[benburch]

11. Damn you were lucky to have known him.

The day I heard about how he burned up in that plane I cried like a baby.

[NinetySix]

13. Hey Crusoe, weren't we just talking about this the other night?

As I recall, it was in a thread about Carole King's "Too Late Baby." I had no idea so many people around here had even heard of Stan Rogers!

[saltpoint]

14. Hey NinetySix! There you are. Yes. Just the other night.

My opinion of the song hasn't lessened any since then, either. A GREAT artist and songwriter, and THE MARY ELLEN CARTER has that tremendous chorus and lyrics:

"And you to whom adversity has dealt the final blow
With smilin' bastards lyin' to you everywhere you go
Turn to, and put up all your strength of arm and heart and brain
And like THE MARY ELLEN CARTER, rise again!"

The fact of the matter is, we Democrats have SENSATIONAL taste in music!

And we all get an extra jolt on that "smilin bastards" line -- we know which smilin' bastards we're talking about. They hang out on Pennsylvania Avenue since they stole an election in 2000 and 2004.

Stan Rogers is awesome, Democrats are awesome, and that's how I explain it!

[benburch]

15. Republicans only have taste in business suits.

And then not always...

[benburch]

12. Kick!

:kick: