Gaelic Mishap

Lyrics

Oh my dearest Kate, my hand shakes as I write
This will be my only letter, for I won’t survive the night
Do you remember when we said goodbye my dear
And I boarded a trade ship, and left you on the pier
Well I found out they’re not merchants, I learned the other day
But by then, t’was too late and we had sailed too far away
Wish I could say I’m sorry, oh I miss you, dear Kate
But you must warn the others – for me it is too late

Oh, cherish this letter from me, it’s all you’ve got
And when weeks turn to years, please forget me not
With every wave, she creaks and she moans
But the ship called, “Homeward Bound”, she’s never comin’ home

I should have seen it sooner, I should have seen the signs
No cargo on this schooner. No rations, rum, or wine
And once we’d left the harbor, with no sight of any shore
The captain turned us starboard to engage a man-o-war
Now, I thought they might be privateers, pirates, or corsairs
But the smell of dead never leaves your head, and that smell, it filled the air
And as day gave way to darkness, the ship started to glow
The skeletons and rot on the crew began to show

Oh, cherish this letter from me it’s all you’ve got
And when weeks turn to years, please forget me not
With every wave, she creaks and she moans
But the ship called Homeward Bound, she’s never comin’ home

The captain ordered “prepare to board
Leave none alive on that man o war
Oh leave the gold but take every soul
Restock the hold and then the air went cold
As I tried to run, thought I could hide
When I felt a cutlass cut my side
With one good slice and an evil laugh
The captain cleaved me clear in half
Oh hush now lad he grinned and he said
As a cannon ball passed right through his head
No tears tonight for us be shed
For we’re all just a crew of the damned and the dead

You’re cursed to the deep with this lifeless lot
So cherish your memory, it’s all that you’ve got
Battles will rage and rattle these bones
But the ship called Homeward Bound ain’t ever comin’

Oh my dearest Kate, now everything’s alright
This is still my only letter, for I didn’t last the night
It’s a letter I keep writing, because I still pretend
That somehow you can read it, even though I’ve met my end
Each night, I throw this message in a bottle off the stern
But lost at sea, and never free, the note always returns
Wish I could say I’m sorry, oh, I miss you, dear Kate
Now that I’m gone, I must move on, you must accept my fate

Oh, cherish this letter from me it’s all you’ve got
And when weeks turn to years, please forget me not
With every wave, she creaks and she moans
But the ship called Homeward Bound, she’s never comin’ home

Oh, cherish this letter from me it’s all you’ve got
And when weeks turn to years, please forget me not
With every wave, she creaks and she moans
But the ship called Homeward Bound, she’s never comin’ home