Desdemona Sands
(Song by: Matthew Moeller – Performed by: Matthew Moeller – Song Notes: by Alice Winship)
Matthew Moeller
LYRICS
Down upon the shifting sands
Hard upon the cruel land
A ship lies dying in the waves
The wheel of luck has made a turn
The surf sweeps her stem to stern
Pulling her down to a watery grave
A lighthouse isn’t any good
To a sailing ship made of wood
Hard aground on a falling tide
Say your prayers, sailor lad
A drowning death is very bad
As the waves take you over the side
A call goes out to the lifeboat crew
To try and do what they could do
To save those still on board
They fire the gun to shoot the line
That falls short every time
But the surf pounds along the shore.
CHORUS
Up in the rigging the sailor’s climb
Trying hard to bestall the time
When the sea exacts its awful price
Up high where the seabirds fly
Clouds scudding across the sky
Down below was death as cold as ice.
CHORUS
Morning come the storm is gone
The sailor stands all alone
In the remains of his once proud ship
His mates have all paid the price
The sea demands for their pride
Gone now in the sand’s cruel grip
NOTES
- Song by Matthew Moeller
- Performed on CD by Matthew Moeller