- Written September 6th, 1979
- Keywords: Nautical, Sea Shanty, Folk
Story Behind the Song -
This is a prelude to “Paradise Bay,” another sea shanty. Again, the talents of Brian Wicklund, Laura MacKenzie and Jerry Danks shine through. I have no idea where this song came from, but I remember writing it in a poorly furnished apartment one night. It was written on my 21st birthday.
Song Lyrics -
At my table sat a sailor, drinkin’ ale and talkin’ loudly,
and he spoke about the raging sea.
He was a captain, old and salty, proud and lonely, strong and homely,
and people called his ship the Jonathan Lee.
He raised his head and started stories, of all his seaward glories,
and how he’d weathered all of nature’s storms.
Often times, he spoke of dying, and I even saw him crying,
for all the men he lost while sailing the ship called Jonathan Lee.
People, listen to the tales
of the waves the captain sailed,
of the tales he told to me,
and the ship called Jonathan Lee.
His talkin’ seemed to last for hours; he drank his ale and cursed the waitress,
and he spoke again about the raging sea.
He said he was the greatest captain that had ever sailed the ocean,
and the greatest ship, he said, was the Jonathan Lee.
But suddenly, the captain quieted, and his sailor body crumbled.
I knew for certain he had sailed his last.
I drank his ale and took his body to the harbour just past midnight,
and buried him beneath the Jonathan Lee…
©2012 Jim Shoulak/Cedar Lodge Music