When The Ship Comes In
Peter Paul Mary Lyrics
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And the breeze will cease to be breathin'
Like the stillness in the wind 'fore the hurricane begins
The hour that the ship comes in.
Oh the seas will split and the ship will hit
And the sand on the shoreline will be shakin'
And the tide will sound and the waves will pound
Oh the fishes will laugh as they swim out of the path
And the seagulls, they'll be smilin'
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 be buried on the bottom of the ocean.
Oh a song will lift as the mainsail shifts
And the boat drifts onto the shoreline
And the sun will respect every face on the deck
The hour that the ship comes in.
And 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'!
Of 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 they'll know that it's for real
The hour that the ship comes in.
And 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!
"When the Ship Comes In" is a song by American musician Bob Dylan, originally recorded for his 1964 album, "The Times They Are A-Changin'." It is considered one of Dylan's most straightforward and accessible songs of his early period, written as a celebration of joy and a call to action. The Peter, Paul and Mary cover of "When the Ship Comes In" was released in 1965, and it became one of their biggest hits.
The lyrics of the song describe the anticipation and excitement of the arrival of a long-awaited ship. The singer uses metaphors of nature to describe the power and force of the event, with the stillness before a hurricane and the splitting of seas. The imagery of the fish laughing and the seagulls smiling add a whimsical quality to the song, and the reference to Pharaoh's tribe and Goliath give it a mythic quality. The final stanza is a call to action, with the singer asserting that those who oppose progress will be overcome by the tide of history, and that they will be conquered like Goliath.
Line by Line Meaning
Oh the time will come up when the wind will stop
The wind will stop and the calm before the storm will begin.
And the breeze will cease to be breathin'
The breeze will stop too and the environment will become still.
Like the stillness in the wind 'fore the hurricane begins
This stillness is the indication of the hurricane ahead.
The hour that the ship comes in.
The moment the ship arrives and changes everything.
Oh the seas will split and the ship will hit
The sea will make way for the ship and hit the shore.
And the sand on the shoreline will be shakin'
The sand on the shore will tremble from the impact.
And the tide will sound and the waves will pound
The tide and waves will be loud and forceful.
And the mornin' will be breakin'!
The morning will arrive with the ship's arrival.
Oh the fishes will laugh as they swim out of the path
The sea creatures will flee and find humor in the situation.
And the seagulls, they'll be smilin'
Even the birds will be happy with the ship's arrival.
And the rocks on the sand will proudly stand
The rocks will stand firm and give the ship a warm welcome.
The hour that the ship comes in.
Again, emphasizing that the ship's arrival will be a life-changing moment.
And the words that are used for to get the ship confused
The ship's detractors will try to confuse it with their words.
Will not be understood as they're spoken'
But their words won't have any effect on the ship's crew.
For the chains of the sea will have busted in the night
The shackles of the sea will be broken, and the crew will be free to enter the shore.
And be buried on the bottom of the ocean.
The chains of the sea will remain in the past and be forgotten.
Oh a song will lift as the mainsail shifts
A song of celebration will begin as the sail changes its direction.
And the boat drifts onto the shoreline
The ship will dock onto the shore, bringing change with it.
And the sun will respect every face on the deck
The sun will shine on everyone, bringing equality and respect.
The hour that the ship comes in.
The ship's arrival will bring about positive transformation for everyone.
And the sands will roll out a carpet of gold
The shore will welcome the ship with open arms and give it royal treatment.
For your weary toes to be a touchin'
Even the exhausted crew will be able to enjoy the warm welcome the shore brings.
And the ship's wise men will remind you once again
The wise members of the ship will remind everyone of the importance of the moment.
That the whole wide world is watchin'!
Everyone will take notice of this significant and transformative event.
Of the foes will rise with the sleep still in their eyes
The ship's detractors will rise from sleep, unaware of the events that have occurred overnight.
And they'll jerk from their beds and think they're dreamin'
They will be in disbelief and question whether what they're seeing is real or just a dream.
But they'll pinch themselves and squeal
They will realize that the moment is real, and react accordingly.
And they'll know that it's for real
They will accept the reality of the situation and adapt accordingly.
The hour that the ship comes in.
The ship's arrival will bring about significant and inevitable changes to their world.
And they'll raise their hands sayin'
They will surrender and accept their defeat.
"We'll meet all your demands"
They will try to appease the crew and avoid further conflict.
But we'll shout from the bow "Your days are numbered!"
But the crew will declare their victory and superiority over their defeated foes.
And like Pharaoh's tribe they'll be drownded in the tide
Their adversaries will suffer the same fate as Pharaoh's tribe in the biblical story of the Exodus.
And like Goliath they'll be conquered!
Their foes will meet the same fate as Goliath in the story of David and Goliath.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Bob Dylan
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind