When The Ship Comes In
The Clancy Brothers & Robbie O'Connell with special guest Tommy Makem Lyrics
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When the winds will stop
And the breeze will cease to be breathin'
Like the stillness in the wind
Before the hurricane begins
The hour that the ship comes in
And the seas will split
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
When the Ship Comes In, written by Bob Dylan and performed by The Clancy Brothers, is a song about the arrival of a new era, one in which justice and truth prevail over oppression and lies. The song's opening lines depict a calm before the storm, a moment of stillness that signals the impending arrival of a ship. This symbolizes a moment of hope, a time when something significant is about to happen, a time when the world will change in ways that were previously unimaginable.
As the ship arrives, the singer describes a dramatic scene in which the waters part, the ship glides in, and the shoreline trembles. The fishes and seagulls laugh and smile, the rocks on the sand proudly stand as the ship comes in. These images are meant to convey a sense of joy and celebration, a moment when the entire natural world is aware that something great has arrived.
The final verses of the song describe the aftermath of the ship's arrival. As the sands roll out a carpet of gold, the wise men on the ship remind the people that the whole world is watching, and that they have a responsibility to create a better world. The foes, who represent the corrupt and oppressive forces in society, are defeated and drowned in the tide, much like Pharaoh's army or Goliath before them. The arrival of the ship thus represents a triumph of justice and truth over oppression and lies.
Line by Line Meaning
Oh, the time will come up
There will be a time in the future
When the winds will stop
The winds will cease blowing
And the breeze will cease to be breathin'
The gentle winds will stop blowing
Like the stillness in the wind
As if there was no wind at all
Before the hurricane begins
Just before a storm hits
The hour that the ship comes in
The moment when good fortune arrives
And the seas will split
The sea will part
And the ship will hit
A ship will arrive
And the sands on the shoreline will be shaking
The sand on the shore will tremble
Then the tide will sound
The sea will roar
And the wind will pound
The wind will beat against the shore
And the morning will be breaking
It will be morning
Oh, the fishes will laugh
Fish will seem to be happy
As they swim out of the path
Fish will move out of the way
And the seagulls they'll be smiling
Seagulls will appear to be happy
And the rocks on the sand
Rocks on the beach
Will proudly stand
Will stand tall and proud
The hour that the ship comes in
The moment when good fortune arrives
And the words that are used
The words that are spoken
For to get the ship confused
To confuse the ship's crew
Will not be understood as they're spoken
The crew will not understand what is said
For the chains of the sea
The chains that bind the ship
Will have busted in the night
Were broken in the night
And will be buried at the bottom of the ocean
And are now at the bottom of the sea
A song will lift
A song will be sung
As the mainsail shifts
As the main sail moves
And the boat drifts on to the shoreline
The ship drifts to the beach
And the sun will respect
The sun shines down on
Every face on the deck
Every face on the ship's deck
The hour that the ship comes in
The moment when good fortune arrives
Then the sands will roll
The sand will move
Out a carpet of gold
A golden carpet will be formed
For your weary toes to be a-touchin'
For your tired feet to walk on
And the ship's wise men
The ship's knowledgeable men
Will remind you once again
Will tell you once more
That the whole wide world is watchin'
Everyone is watching
Oh, the foes will rise
The enemies will rise
With the sleep still in their eyes
Half-awake
And they'll jerk from their beds and think they're dreaming
And they'll wake up suddenly and think they are dreaming
But they'll pinch themselves and squeal
But they'll squeeze themselves and scream
And know that it's for real
And realize it's true
The hour when the ship comes in
The moment when good fortune arrives
Then they'll raise their hands
They'll put their hands up
Sayin' we'll meet all your demands
Saying they will agree to anything
But we'll shout from the bow your days are numbered
But the ship's crew will warn them that their time is running out
And like Pharaoh's tribe
Just like Pharaoh's followers
They'll be drownded in the tide
They will be drowned in the sea
And like Goliath, they'll be conquered
They will be defeated like Goliath was
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Bob Dylan
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@wattsiswhat
There were so many awesome moments from that show, yet this one and the O'Jays have left the biggest impact on me.
@sefghimassi8600
Magnificent version of a magnificent song. Both Bob Dylan, and the Clancy Brothers, will be remembered long after most plastic pop music has been forgotten.
@munsterfloyd
I recently stopped off at a tiny cemetery in the village of An Rinn (Ring), a Gaelic (Irish) speaking area in Co. Waterford. I was hoping to find the grave of an old friend who had been tragically killed in a car crash 30 years ago. I also found the grave of a former colleague and the graves of Tom and Liam Clancy.
@rosesulla2616
Clancy Brothers are superb singing this song as usual!
@brianhurley2194
The Clancys make this sound like an ancient Gaelic ballad!
@yanoharris1724
every time I hear this the hair stands up on me. amazing. thank yoh Clancy Brothers where ever you are. so missed!
@thomasellis8586
This is by far the greatest cut on the 30th Anniversary album.
The Clancys took Dylan's song right back to its Irish cultural roots as a sea chantey. Wonderful!
@adrienneredmond7552
agreed
@kevinvidaud4648
I love this version but Eddie vedder break my mind with master of war
@jamestracey5958
Stole the whole show@@kevinvidaud4648