this song is about isolation and alcoholism. I wrote the lyrics in a cryptic manner as I often do in order to add some setting and flavor to the song. The main character, a pirate, has lived an immoral and liscentious life; doing whatever he wants and rarely ever thiking of his children, who he leaves on the coast of Donegal every time he ships out.  On the open sea rum is often provided for the men as part of their ration, but when the sailor touches dry land again he has to give his money to his wife and often goes into delirium tremens within a few days because she discourages his drinking. In his private thoughts he always wishes that he could have an indefatigueable supply of booze and when their ship breaks her keel on a reef during a storm he gets his wish. The only trouble is that he has no drinking water and no-one to talk to. In short order he feels as though he will lose his mind. This becomes the impetus for him to build a raft and try and get off of this tiny island that fate has put him on. Once again caught in a tropical storm his raft is destroyed and he finds himself treading water in a mile of ocean where he feels as though all hope is lost and that he will drown. Primarily an agnostic he prays to god as a last ditch effort and then retires himself to the ruminate his own mortality. Just when he feels all is lost God speaks to him asking what his children will do without him? And prompting him to never give up the fight when it means giving up your faith.  God then appears in the form of a whale (a reversal of Jonah) and carrys his weary passenger to the closest safe port leaving him to renegotiate his priorities and take more pleasure in his family. This song is as much about me as it is about many of the other alcoholics I have known. It is deeplly emotional for me on so many levels.

J.Gardner Burd