Sting: When the Last Ship Sails Page #6

Our beloved Father O'Brian,

whose idea this ship-building was,

is not going to make it

through the second act.

He's been diagnosed with,

uh, a terrible disease.

And first, this scene was just a dramatic

scene, there was no singing in it,

and then our esteemed producer

came to me one day and said,

"Sting, you've got to

musicalise that scene. "

Now I'd never heard

of that verb before.

But I knew what he meant.

And luckily, already in the text there was

a metaphor which I thought I could use.

This song is called So To Speak,

thank you.

They're seriously saying

it's prolonging me life

If I'll only submit to

the surgical knife?

But what are the odds,

on a month or a week?

When the betting shop's

closing its doors, so to speak

When you're tied to a pump,

and a breathing machine

With their X-rays and probes,

and their monitor screens

And they'll wake ye up hungry,

saying, how do ye feel?

And then you're stuffed

full of pills, or a barium meal

Prolonging me life?

Now that's some kind of joke!

I'd be laughing me head off,

and I'd probably choke

The spirit's still willing,

but the rest of me's weak

Now the bets are all off,

and the prospects look bleak

When you're laid like a piece

of old meat on the slab

And they'll cut and they'll slice,

and they'll poke and they'll jab

And they'll grill ye and burn ye,

and they'll wish ye good health

With their radium, chemo,

and God knows what else?

Well, ye can't fault the science,

though the logic is weak

Is it really an eternal

life we should seek?

That ship has sailed

That ship has already sailed,

so to speak

Our mission is more than

a struggle for breath

For a few extra rounds

in a fight to the death

When our mission is love,

and compassion and grace

It's not a test of endurance,

or a marathon race

For love is the sabre

and love is the shield

Love is the only

true power we wield

When eternal love,

is all ye should seek

And that ship

will be ready to sail...

...so to speak

Well, I'm tossed and I'm

torn like a leaf on a street

And I'm blown every which way

by the tides of a dream

And the ship of my heart

doesn't know what it seeks

And the water's way over

my head, so to speak

So make a decision, Meg,

hold to it fast

Keep your hand on the tiller,

tie yourself to the mast

For this sea of emotions,

no place for the meek

When it's only eternity's love

you should seek

For when that ship sails

and the course has been set

And the wind's in the offing

and the sails have been let

And the hatches are full,

and the hull doesn't leak

That ship will be

ready to sail,

so to speak

I'm tired and fadin,

and losing the light

And I've no way to tell,

if it's day or it's night

Follow your heart

It's the harbour you seek

And this ship isready to sail

This ship is

ready to sail

This ship is

ready to sail

So to

Speeeeeeeak.

Show some respect on this

deck for the dear departed

Gather yous round, let's be

bound by the work we started

Save all your strength for the

length of the task before us

Think on that ship on the slipway,

they can't ignore us

It's what he would have wanted,

he'll not be disappointed

Each of us well appointed,

we've all but been anointed

Such was our occupation,

this means of our salvation

We'll make a rope out of our

dreams and hopes and tribulations

We'll weave these strands together,

we'll splice a rope and tether

And though we won't know whether,

it's fair or stormy weather

We'll quit this quay,

and we'll cast this net

of souls upon the sea

Are you with me?

Pick up your tools, we're not

fools to be treated lightly

- We'll weld our souls to the bulkheads

- Secure them tightly!

We'll use the skills and the crafts,

that our fathers taught us

We'll work with pride, not as

slaves, no-one ever bought us

We'll weave a net of our dreams

and our hopes between us

We'll be the envy of that sorry bunch,

who'll wish they'd been us

We'll form a web of steel,

a structure that will not be broken

We'll be the heroes of the day

whenever tales are spoken

And as the dance gets faster,

we'll build a double master

No vessel will outlast her,

no other ship gets past her

We'll quit this quay and we'll cast

this net of souls upon the sea...

Come on!

Come strike the floor with your feet,

all you lads and lasses

And if you're too old to dance,

you can raise your glasses

Just come on in, take a spin,

in your dreams ye've held her

What are ye?

Man or a mouse?

Or a shipyard welder?

Shy bairns get nowt for waiting,

so why ye hesitating?

Ships don't get built debating,

or launched just contemplating

Wear out your old shoe leather,

we're in this dance together

We'll pull the blades and feather,

in fair or clement weather

Each one of us connected,

all trades and skills respected

Always to be expected,

we will not be deflected

We'll quit this quay and we'll cast

this net of souls upon the sea

- Are you with me?

- Come on!

Na-na-na-na na-na -

na na-na-na-na-na

Na-na-na-na na-na -

na na-na-na-na-na

Na-na-na-na na-na -

na na-na-na-na-na

Na-na-na-na na-na -

na na-na-na-na-na

- Na-na-na-na na-na

- Na-na-na-na na-na

- Na-na-na-na na-na

- Na-na-na-na na-na

Na-na-na-na-na-na-na-na-

na-na-na-na-a-a-a-a-ahh

Show some respect, fill the deck,

get the lassies twirling

Cos they expect, to be swept,

off their feet and whirling

Life is a dance, a romance,

where ye take your chances

Just don't be left on the

shores of regretful glances

We may not drive Rolls-Royces,

we're hardly spoilt for choices

If we're to pay invoices,

we'll need to raise our voices

Our strength is in communion,

this Boilermakers' Union

This Shipwright Welder's Guild,

with every working station filled

These bonds we've spliced together,

will face all kinds of weather

Considered all together,

and sailing hell for leather

We'll quit this quay and we'll cast

this net of souls upon the sea

Where will you be...

...when we cast this net

of souls upon the sea?

Show some respect on this

deck for the dear departed

Gather yous round, let's be

bound by the work UPON THE SEA!

They say there's an

underground river...

...that none of us can see

And it flows through

winding tunnels...

...on its way to

a tideless sea

And across that

sea is an island...

...a paradise, we are told

Where the toils of

life are forgotten...

...and they call it

the island of souls

For only a soul

can go there...

...a soul that's

been set free

From the confines

of our working life...

...to find eternity

Your dad had a cage

for his pigeons

And they say that's

where he kept his soul

And when he watched them fly,

he would see himself

At least that's

how it was told

But his soul was still

trapped in the cage, son

While the birds they

soared to the sky

But he couldn't

find his own way out

At least not till

the day he died

A man builds a cage with

the tools he is given

His casket is sealed

Rate this script:3.0 / 1 vote