Christmas At Sea - Sting

All day we fought

The tides between the North

Head and the South

All day we hauled

The frozen sheets to scape the

Storms wet mouth

All day as cold as charity

In bitter pain and

Dread

For very life and nature

We tacked from head

To head

We gave the South a wider berth

For there the

Tide race roared;

But every tack we made

We brought the North

Head close aboard:

We saw the cliffs and

Houses and the breakers

Running high

And the coastguard in his garden

His glass

Against his eye

The frost was on the village

Roofs as white as

Ocean foam;

The good red fi res

Were burning bright in every

Long shore home;

The windows sparkled

Clear and the chimneys

Volleyed out;

And I vow we sniffed

The victuals as the vessel

Went about

The bells upon the

Church were rung with a

Mighty jovial cheer;

For its just that

I should tell you how of all days

In the year

This day of our adversity

Was blessed Christmas

Morn

And the house above the

Coastguards was the

House where I was born

And well I knew the talk they had

The talk that

Was of me

Of the shadow on the

Household and the son that

Went to sea;

And oh the wicked fool I seemed

In every kind

Of way

To be here and hauling frozen ropes on blessed

Christmas Day