The Leviathan's Awake

Lyrics

[Verse 1] We hauled from Greyhook before the dawn, With salt dried white on every sleeve; The gulls went quiet, the tide ran black, And something rolled beneath our keel. [Chorus] Heave, boys, heave, let the deep sea turn, Hold fast, hold fast, while the cold waves rise; There’s a crown of bone and a mouth like a cave— The Leviathan’s awake tonight! [Verse 2] Old Mara struck the brass ship’s bell, Three sharp notes through the rain she cast; The mate cried, “Keep your eyes ahead!” But the sea stood up behind the mast. [Chorus] Heave, boys, heave, let the deep sea turn, Hold fast, hold fast, while the cold waves rise; There’s a crown of bone and a mouth like a cave— The Leviathan’s awake tonight! [Bridge] It coiled around the moonlit foam, Its back a reef, its eyes two fires; We drove our bowsprit through the spray, And sang until the storm climbed higher. [Final Chorus] Heave, boys, heave, let the deep sea turn, Hold fast, hold fast, while the cold waves rise; We broke the swell and we kept our names— The Leviathan sank from sight! [Outro] So toast the hands that held the line, And mind the hush when the gulls take flight; For under the keel, where the cold tides wind, The Leviathan dreams tonight.