Ballad Of Yarmouth Castle Lyrics - Gordon Lightfoot

Well, it's four o'clock in the afternoon 

And the anchors have been weighed 

From Miami to Nassau 

She's bound across the waves 

She'll be headin' south through Biscayne Bay 

Into the open sea 

Yarmouth Castle, she's a-dyin' and don't know it 

Now the many years she's been to sea 

She's seen the better times 

She gives a groan of protest 

As they cast away her lines 

And the grumble of her engines 

And the rust along her spine 

Tells the Castle she's too old to be sailin' 

But the sands run out within her heart 

A tiny spark glows red 

It smolders through the evening 

There's laughter overhead 

Now the dinner's served and the cards are dealt 

And the drinks are passed around 

Deep within the fire starts a-burnin' 

Now it's midnight on the open sea 

And the moon is shinin' bright 

Some people join the party 

And others say goodnight 

There's many who are sleepin' now 

It's been a busy day 

And a tiny wisp of smoke is a-risin' 

"Oh Lord," she groans, "I'm burning 

Let someone understand" 

But her silent plea is wasted 

In the playin' of the band 

Everybody's dancin' on her deck 

And they're havin' such a time 

And a voice says, "Shut up and deal, I'm losin'" 

Deep within the Yarmouth Castle 

The fire begins to glow 

It leaps into the hallways 

And climbs and twists and grows 

And the paint she wore to keep her young 

Oh Lord, how well it burns 

And soon that old fire is a-ragin' 

Up beneath the bridge it's climbin' fast 

The captain stands aloft 

He calls up to the boatswain, says 

"Boatswain, we are lost" 

For the ragged hoses in the racks 

No pressure do they hold 

And the people down below will soon be dyin' 

All amidships, oh she's blazin' now 

It's spreadin' fore and aft 

The people are a-scramblin' 

As the fire blocks their path 

The evil smoke surrounds them 

And they're fallin' in their tracks 

And the captain in his lifeboat is a-leavin' 

Oh then the ship, Bahama Star 

Comes steamin' through the night 

She sees the Castle blazin' 

And 'tis a terrible sight 

"Jump down, jump down", the captain cries 

"We'll save you if we can" 

Then the paint on his funnels is a-fryin' 

"God help the ones who sleep below 

And cannot find the way 

Thank God for those we rescue 

Upon this awful day" 

Now the heroes, they are many 

But the times are growin' slim 

And now from stern to bow, she's a-blazin' 

Oh the Yarmouth Castle's moanin' 

She's cryin' like a child 

You can hear her if you listen 

Above the roar so wild 

Is she cryin' for the ones who lie 

Within her molten sides? 

Or cryin' for herself, I'm a-wonderin' 

But the livin' soon were rescued 

The ones who lived to tell 

From the Star they watched her 

As she died there in the swells 

Like a toy ship on a mill pond 

She burned all through the night 

Then slipped beneath the waves in the mornin'