When the Ship Comes In
Marcus Carl Franklin Lyrics
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Oh, the time will come up
When the winds will stop
And the breeze
Will cease to be breathin'
Like the stillness
In the wind
The hour
When the ship comes in
Oh, the seas will split
And the ship will hit
And the sands
On the shoreline
Will be shaking
Then the tide will sound
And the wind will pound
And the morning
Will be breaking
Oh the fishes will laugh
As they swim out of the path
And the seagulls
They'll be smiling
And the rocks on the sand
Will proudly stand
The hour
That the ship comes in
And the words that are used
For to get the ship confused
Will not be understood
As they're spoken
For the chains of the sea
Will have busted in the night
And will be buried
At the bottom of the ocean
A song will lift
As the mainsail shifts
And the boat drifts
On to the shoreline
And the sun will respect
Every face on the deck
The hour
That the ship comes in
Then the sands will roll
Out a carpet of gold
For your weary toes
To be a-touchin'
And the ship's wise men
Will remind you once again
That the whole wide world
Is watchin'
Oh, the foes will rise
With the sleep
Still in their eyes
And they'll jerk
From their beds
And think they're dreamin'
But they'll pinch themselves
And squeal
And know that it's for real
The hour
When the ship comes in
Then they'll raise their hands
Sayin'
We'll meet all your demands
But we'll shout from the bow
Your days are numbered
And like Pharaoh's tribe
They'll be drownded in the tide
And like Goliath
They'll be conquered
Marcus Carl Franklin's version of "When the Ship Comes In" is a version of Bob Dylan's original, a song that encapsulates the idea of hopefulness and the eventual coming of a better time. Dylan's song is chorus-less, with every verse beginning with "Oh" to deliver an air of expectation. The lyrics of the song indicate the bringing of a new era, with references such as the split seas and shaking sands, marking the end of an older age. The song's climax sees the enemies of the singer defeated, emphasising the hopeful and community-oriented nature of the song.
Line by Line Meaning
Oh, the time will come up
A time will come very soon
When the winds will stop
When the winds will no longer be blowing
And the breeze
And the light wind
Will cease to be breathin'
Will stop blowing
Like the stillness
Like the calmness
In the wind
In the midst of the wind
'Fore the hurricane begins
Before the terrible storm happens
The hour
The exact moment of time
When the ship comes in
When the ship finally arrives at the port
Oh, the seas will split
The waters of the ocean will divide
And the ship will hit
And the ship will stop in the port
And the sands
And the sands of the shore
On the shoreline
Located on the edge of the water
Will be shaking
Will be moving and trembling
Then the tide will sound
Then the waves will loudly crash
And the wind will pound
And the strong wind will hit with force
And the morning
And the start of the day
Will be breaking
Will begin to occur
Oh the fishes will laugh
The fishes will respond with happiness
As they swim out of the path
As they quickly move out of the way
And the seagulls
And the birds by the sea
They'll be smiling
They'll express happiness
And the rocks on the sand
And the stones on the shore
Will proudly stand
Will remain solid and unmoving
The hour
The exact moment of time
That the ship comes in
When the ship finally arrives at the port
And the words that are used
And the language that is spoken
For to get the ship confused
To try to cause confusion for the vessel
Will not be understood
Will not be comprehended or effective
As they're spoken
When they are being said
For the chains of the sea
Because the restraints of the ocean
Will have busted in the night
Will have broken apart during the night
And will be buried
And will remain at the bottom of the water
At the bottom of the ocean
At the bottom of the sea
A song will lift
A song will rise up
As the mainsail shifts
As the large sail moves
And the boat drifts
And the boat continues to move slowly
On to the shoreline
Approaching the water's edge
And the sun will respect
And the sun will honor or acknowledge
Every face on the deck
Every person aboard the ship
The hour
The exact moment of time
That the ship comes in
When the ship finally arrives at the port
Then the sands will roll
Then the sand will move forward
Out a carpet of gold
Making a pathway of wealth or riches
For your weary toes
For your tired feet
To be a-touchin'
To be touching
And the ship's wise men
And the important, knowledgeable people on the ship
Will remind you once again
Will tell you again or remember to mention
That the whole wide world
That the entire planet
Is watchin'
Is observing or being aware of
Oh, the foes will rise
Enemies will emerge
With the sleep
Still feeling very tired and sluggish
Still in their eyes
With the evidence of sleep in their eyes
And they'll jerk
And they'll suddenly move or shake
From their beds
From the place where they sleep
And think they're dreamin'
And believe they are experiencing a dream
But they'll pinch themselves
But they'll grasp at their skin or flesh with some force
And squeal
And suddenly make a loud high-pitched noise
And know that it's for real
And realize that what they are experiencing is genuine
The hour
The exact moment of time
When the ship comes in
When the ship finally arrives at the port
Then they'll raise their hands
Then they will lift their hands into the air
Sayin'
Saying
We'll meet all your demands
We will satisfy all the requests
But we'll shout from the bow
But we will yell loudly from the front of the ship
Your days are numbered
Your days are limited
And like Pharaoh's tribe
And like the community ruled by Pharaoh
They'll be drownded in the tide
They will be completely submerged in the water's current
And like Goliath
And like Goliath in the Bible story
They'll be conquered
They will be defeated or overcome
Contributed by Keira T. Suggest a correction in the comments below.