The old man fades into the seashore,
His harpoon was once for hire,
Children sang their songs about him,
Huddled by the evening fire,
He put to sea aboard the Whale ships,
Upon the bow he proudly stood,
When they hunted Whales for profit,
While the decks ran red with blood.
[Chorus]
In the cold Nantucket nights he hears the whales call from the seas,
From beyond the harbour lights it carries in upon the breeze,
To a killer out of time who fears there's nothing more to do,
When the world no longer rhymes and has no reason left for you.
Electric lights put out the oil lamps,
A slaughter stolen from the sea,
The ships all rotted on the quayside,
The Leviathan swam free,
And though he mourns his loss of purpose,
He numbers every one he killed,
The songs that haunt him in the night time,
Weigh every drop of blood he spilled.
[Chorus]
They found him on the beach one morning,
His own harpoon run through his chest,
The people came out of the chapel,
The people laid his soul to rest,
And on the sand they found his message,
A prayer from the newly dead
Letters written in his own blood,
"Désolé" was all they read.
[Chorus]
His harpoon was once for hire,
Children sang their songs about him,
Huddled by the evening fire,
He put to sea aboard the Whale ships,
Upon the bow he proudly stood,
When they hunted Whales for profit,
While the decks ran red with blood.
[Chorus]
In the cold Nantucket nights he hears the whales call from the seas,
From beyond the harbour lights it carries in upon the breeze,
To a killer out of time who fears there's nothing more to do,
When the world no longer rhymes and has no reason left for you.
Electric lights put out the oil lamps,
A slaughter stolen from the sea,
The ships all rotted on the quayside,
The Leviathan swam free,
And though he mourns his loss of purpose,
He numbers every one he killed,
The songs that haunt him in the night time,
Weigh every drop of blood he spilled.
[Chorus]
They found him on the beach one morning,
His own harpoon run through his chest,
The people came out of the chapel,
The people laid his soul to rest,
And on the sand they found his message,
A prayer from the newly dead
Letters written in his own blood,
"Désolé" was all they read.
[Chorus]
+5