The steel cat swallowed her purr, her engine lost the drive
So the iron monolith drifted lifeless on the sapphire sea
Mother Doldrum wrapped ever tighter her warm blanket 
As the jewel water betrayed its skirt in a vulgar bilge-brown gurgle
And the lifeless whale hull showed some less its awkward visage
To the sea, to the sky, to the hungry curious shark eye
Multiplied by two by multitude on the sea against the turquoise sky
Frantic wrenches slapped the stupid deck in a vicious wakeup call
Dropped as useless by muscled hands, fingers-gnarled racing the flooding wound 
The men, the men, the crew all on station as they're due I'll meet you in Manhattan they'd 
said when this sail's through And the lifeless whale hull showed less its ancient visage
To the sea, to the sky, to the hungry curious shark eye
Multiplied by two by multitude on the sea against the turquoise sky
The office was on record for the davits, boats and winch
For the crane's, the holds with every best intention
And little boats like bigger boats die their timely death
And these our boats had little use except to pass inspection
And the lifeless whale hull showed even less its tired visage
To the sea, to the sky, to the hungry curious shark eye
Multiplied by two by multitude on the sea against a turquoise sky
A thousand miles and more lay the nearest land
I'd never liked its anchored shore,  god-driven to explore
Any sea, every sea, forever wandering sea  
With no family, home or reference grounding guide for me
And the lifeless whale hull showed less its tired visage
To the sea, to the sky, to the hungry curious shark eye
Multiplied by two by multitude on the sea against the last turquoise sky
A thousand miles and more lay the nearest land
Radio to radio: "it's two days we'd be on hand"
I'd never liked its anchored shore,  god-driven to explore
From hearth and home and farewell kiss which never blessing bore
And the Transchamplain showed no more its battered visage
To the sea, to the sky, to the hungry hammer-shark eye
Multiplied by two by multitude where the sea met the turquoise water sky

Grace give us strength to remain so long sturdy men
And let Grace ground us to bear that as we must
Some later may stand but God has all thirty-four now remand
In the sea, against the sky, to the hungry hammer-shark eye
Multiplied by two by multitude where the sea meets the jewel sapphire sky