ODE TO ROSALYND AND KYDD

(From Stockwin's "The Admirals Daughter")

It was such a sunny day
Making plans for her wedding day
A short cruise to Plymouth…
For her rig.

The sexton said, “A black squall blew
Sank the ship took Rosalynd too
And when they told him…
Kydd, he just went crazy.

Said it ain’t fair…she died too soon
Our love…was just a bloom
But death tore the petals…
All away.

Tell me Renzi what do I do
I feel like…I been run thru
When I close my eyes…
I see her face.

Grog on my breath…shaky hands
Dreams are drowned…I’m a desperate man
All I got left…is you friend…
And the jealous sea,

It took her from me.

Copyright Michael Aye

Sunken Love

He told that he loved her,
He'd be gone, but not for long.
And if she watched the beaches,
She'd see his sails coming home.

They say it was a hurricane,
Took her man and drowned their dreams.
Just another victim,
A ship lost on the sea.

But if you go down to Savannah ,
Along the shoreline late that night,
You can hear a young girl's voice,
Above the rushing tide.
And if you go down to the beach,
There's footprints in the sand.
Where she walks the Savannah Beaches,
Waiting for her man.

Copyright Michael Aye

He Whispered Softly

He whispered softly and he told her,
Lay your head down on my shoulder.
I'll be gentle, so don't you worry,
But time's so short we have to hurry.

Tomorrow morn my ship must sail.
The time is now for our farewell.
But I'll be back someday, you'll see.
Now the drums are calling me.

Dry your tears, no need in crying.
Even though they say I'm dying.
You know my battles are fought and won,
And you have my baby son.

He whispered softly and he told her,
Lay your head down on my shoulder.
I'll be gentle, so don't you worry,
But time's so short we have to hurry.

Copyright Michael Aye

Escape

You broke my heart,
Time and time again.
I lost count,
Of all your men.
But tonight,
It’s gonna end.
I’m tired of your cheating ways.

The Captain said,
He had a place for me.
On the morning tide,
We’d put to sea.
He gave me a list,
Of things I’d need.
The voyage was going to be long.

I told her,
I had work come in.
I’d be home,
But I didn’t know when.
I gave it an hour,
Then I snuck in.
I ended their cheating days.

From the deck,
I can see a glow.
The flames of hell,
Continue to grow.
When they are out
No one will know;
That one of them ain’t me.

Copyright Michael Aye

Dances in the Rain

We have no way of knowing
Just what the future brings
And all I have to offer
Is just some simple things

A warm fire in the winter
Flowers in the spring
But I’ll give you all my love
And Dances in the Rain

Copyright Michael Aye

In My Dreams

I lean in to kiss you
Pull your body close to me
Then I awaken
It was just a Dream

In my Dreams
I make love to you
Hold you so close
Breathe the air you breathe

In my dreams
I’m a lucky man
We go out dancing
Take walks hand-hand

In My Dreams

Copyright Michael Aye

Shadows on your Mind

Baby I see shadows on your mind
It’s a far away place that’s calling you tonight
You once had a dream you’re still hoping to find
I know that look I’ve seen it one time

It’s a humdrum life in which we all live
I sense a Need that hasn’t been filled
I see the mist that fills up your eyes
After all these years don’t look so surprised

I seen it before just before you go
So listen closely I want you to know
If you’re going I’m going too
Cause baby I’m wrapped up in you

So close your eyes and try to relax
You’ve had a hard day, let me lay you back
I’ll spread my wings, we’ll take a flight
There’s no hurry if it takes all night

Cause baby, I’m wrapped up in you
Yes baby, I’m wrapped up in you

Copyright Michael Aye

A Woman's Lonely Heart

You don't have to tell me,
I've come to understand.
Takes a certain kind of woman,
To love a sailing man.
I tried to make you love me,
You tried to find the spark.
But, a ship that sails,
Kills the flames in a lonely heart.

Copyright Michael Aye

Sailor's Farewell

(HMS SeaWolf)
The day is dark and dreary,
I can smell the rain.
I'm sailing with the tide.
Will I stand the pain?
Teary eyed she waves goodbye,
Watching as I go.
It's a conflict of emotion,
Waging war in my soul.

Copyright Michael Aye

Return to Port

Rain falls when it wants to,
Like the wind that fills our sail.
I recall the tears on her face,
When we said our farewells.
Her memory's like a dagger,
The blade, cold and sharp.
All the nights I walked these decks,
With a lonely aching heart.
Tomorrow we'll return to port;
This cruise is finally over.
She'll be standing on the pier,
Waiting for me to hold her.

Copyright Michael Aye

Every Port

I's a sailing man,
On a Man 'O War.
I's sailed the world,
It be every port,
I's left me heart,
wid some pretty girl.

Copyright Michael Aye

Left Her Crying

Left her crying on the pier,
When we put out to sea.
Now every night I walk these decks,
‘Cause I can’t go to sleep.

Every time I close my eyes,
I can see her face.
Makes me wonder if her love,
Is nothing but a waste.

My heart so empty,
When she is not around.
And if she needed help,
Where would it be found.

Copyright Michael Aye

Home to See My Family*

There’s weeds growing in the yard
Paint…is peeling off the boards
There is just an empty space
Where once…there hung a door.

The old lady from across the way
Said those folks…They’re long gone.
The press gang took him away.
She waited…’till the baby came along.

She didn’t know where they went
But the Vicar… he might know.
I said thank you …picked up my bag
And headed down that lonesome road.

I recall those happy days
She would laugh…and sing me songs.
But that was fifteen years ago,
Now everything…I care about…is gone.

I came home to see my family
God it’s been way too long
I came home to see my family
I wish I knew where they had gone.

I pulled my collar closer
There’s a chill in the air
I’ll travel to her mother’s place
I hope she’ll be there.

*Dedicated to all the men who were caught by the Press Gang and were taken from their families.
Some of which were never heard from again.

Copyright Michael Aye

Man Without a Dream

I never thought that life would pass me by so soon.
My mind drifts back in time to a silver summer moon
But that was in the past, the dreams have died away
So I exist and live day to day

I met a girl, dark hair and sparkling eyes
The kiss she gave to me, took me by surprise
But I had nothing to offer, she quickly turned away
She didn’t want me hurt, if trouble came our way
I hope someday to see her; she has to know the truth
Life came between us but my heart want turn her loose
So I pull my collar closer and face into the wind
A love like I lost will seldom come again

Now I’m a dreamer, without any dreams
And loves been abandoned, or so it seems
The fires in my heart have now grown old
A man without a dream is a man… without a soul

Copyright Michael Aye

Rushing Waters

Staring over the ocean I see the evening tide
I hear the wind a rushing thru the palm trees at my side
I feel the urge to swim out in your waters deep and cold
Hoping you can purge these troubled thoughts from my soul

Oh tell me rushing waters, where did it go wrong
And why with her standing here do I feel so all alone
I see you rushing waters, want you talk to me
When I go out walking where the sand meets the sea

Copyright Michael Aye

Spending Time Alone

As you brushed your lips against me
Felt a tear on my cheek
Love so soft and gentle
Teary eyed you try to speak

Softly you whisper
I can’t see you anymore
I still hear the echoes
The slamming of the door

Can’t explain these feeling
Emotions run thru my mind
She had a need
I need I didn’t find

Now I know the answer
The silence brings it home
Life is pure hell
Spending time alone

Copyright Michael Aye

Daddy, I Hope You Made it Home

A branch is barely hanging…from a tree that’s almost gone
I hear the old folks whisper… “Why did he come home?”
I walk down by the graveyard …as the sky fills with snow
The years rush before me …and the memories start to flow

There’s a statue down on Main Street…a tribute to our vets
The cries of “Nam” still wake me…chilled and soaked in sweat
I drive on down the by-pass …where his store used to be
The gang would always hang there…its been closed since 03

I stop by the high school …it was the center of our lives
The hall and bells are silent now …still as the night
I see the basement steps there …where one time after dark
A sweet girl gave me all she had …I promised her my heart.

They said the house was haunted …down the winding gravel road
We threw rocks thru empty doorways …to hear the night echo
I never saw a ghost …but a phantom filled my soul
As shadows dance on headlights…in the trees…where the moss hangs low

Now I got his pick-up…Got his old guitar
But they don’t feel this empty space …I feel in my heart
Now that he’s gone …I feel so all alone…
Daddy I hope you made it home…

Yes daddy I hope you made it home.

Copyright Michael Aye

The Prize

Yonder ships a privateer,
With men and guns a plenty.
What say you my brave men-
Shall we take this enemy?
Reduce all sail! Run out the guns!
Put one across her bow!
Yonder ship will be our prize,
Before the quarter hour.

Copyright Michael Aye

Battle Fatigue

I take a breath and look around me,
I'm grateful to be alive.
The guns, they're all silent now,
But, the smoke still burns my eyes.
There's a heaviness within me,
It takes a heavy toll.
It burns like rum going down,
To an empty, aching soul.

Copyright Michael Aye

Duty

They sanded down the decks;
The guns were all run out.
"Let's give them what for lads!"
They heard the Cap'n shout.
The talk of duty and honour,
Meant little to the crew.
They fought for their mates,
And perhaps a prize or two.

Copyright Michael Aye

The Watch

(HMS SeaWolf)
The officer of the deck,
Peered thru a blinding snow.
They'd just turned the glass,
Half an hour left to go.
Then the rattle of muskets,
Shouts- Then something explodes.
Turning to the mid he cursed.
Just our luck don't ya know.

Copyright Michael Aye

An Ole Salt

I'm writing you this letter,
There's things I gotta say.
The innocent boy that sailed away,
Returns a worldly man today.

It was a mighty warship,
On her rolls I signed my name.
After thirty years at sea,
It's saltwater that fills my veins.

I fought the wind -n- weather;
I battled a raging sea.
Round after round I fired the big guns,
As men died around me.

I tasted wine in many a port.
Read letters 'till my heart yearned.
Many's the night I smoked my pipe,
While sitting on the stern.

They tell me now I must retire;
My able days are done.
And what the sea took away,
The sea now returns.

Copyrighted Micheal Aye

The Fireship

`Hit were like a roaring inferno-
The fires `o `ell so bright.
Flames leaping upwards,
Like fireworks in the night.

`Hit started on the main deck,
Quick like it climbed the mast.
The sails be ablaze now,
The flame `as spread so fast.

`Hits set a course for the flagship
Less some `ow it’s turned.
The only choice Jack tar `as
Is jump ship or burn.

Copyrighted Micheal Aye

Grog

I stands here confused,
Me heads in a fog.
Can't finds me ship,
Damn that ole grog.

Me eyes be awash,
Me timbers not steady.
I tries to walk down,
This heaving old Jetty.

There be a boatman,
He'll carry me out;
For a shilling or two,
The larcenous old lout!

Copyright Michael Aye

Final Victory

The mighty ship entered port,
Her yards set cockbill.
A loyal crew mourned the death,
Their brave captain killed.
The battle had been fought and won.
They fired the last broadside.
As enemy colors floated down,
The good captain died.

Copyright Michael Aye

Newgate Jig

The pirate eyed the crowd outside
They came to see him hang.
He'd once struck fear in many a man
By the mention of his name.

Many a captain lost his ship
Their life blood to his blade.
Many a young girl he had kissed
Till that dreadful day.

Better he'd been struck down
Now resigned to his fate.
It was like a circus outside
In the yard of Newgate.

Copyrighted Micheal Aye

The Gun Captain

The Cap'n yells- "Fire!"
The guns leap as one.
Round after round,
We worked 'um 'till we's numb.

I smells the stench 'o powder,
I's blinded by the smoke.
It hurts me chest to breathe,
It makes me cough and choke.

I felt the ship shudder,
They's scored another hit.
A gun be overturned;
The main mast is split.

Broadside after broadside,
That last 'un were the worse.
I see the chaplain praying,
I 'urd the bosun curse.

I steals a look about me,
So many mates lay dead.
The thunder from the guns,
Echoes thru me head.

I 'ear the word, "cease fire."
Yonder ship 'as struck.
I give a sigh and wipes me face,
A victory cheer goes up.

Copyrighted Micheal Aye

The Forgotten Salt

I walked out of Whitehall,
Had my orders in my hand.
I saw this ragged shell,
That once had been a man.

He leaned against the building,
A timber for a leg.
He once sailed with Nelson,
Now he had to beg.

Forgotten the days of glory,
Long cast over the side.
Our country now shuns them,
Men crippled, and those who died.

I fished out a guinea,
He deserved so much more.
He said, "Thank you kindly Cap'n,
Lost me leg at Trafalgar.

Copyrighted Micheal Aye

Men Who Sail the Sea

You laugh, you drink, you dance,
You men who sail the sea.
For tomorrow who's to know,
What might assail upon thee.
Be it gale or sword or cannon,
-A sinking ship it be.
So live life heartily,
You men who sail the sea.

Copyrighted Micheal Aye

The Battle Won

The man listened quietly
To their captain speak.
It had been a hard voyage
The mission now complete.

Gone were some mates
Cut down by the guns.
A savage battle fought
Out numbered still they won.

We're headed for home lads
The butcher's bill I fear.
A double tot for every man
The crew gave a cheer.

Copyrighted Micheal Aye