Could It Be? Something Other Than Music?

Hello again from Freedom's Flagship, the Mighty Hawk, the Battle Cat, the Shitty Kitty, or whatever nickname best suits your personal karma. We just came back after steaming south of Japan all week to take on fuel and other things that go boom, and it's certainly an amazing experience to go up on the catwalk just before the flight deck to see Mt. Fuji off the starboard bow.

Now All We Need Is Nike To Do A "Start The Season. Soon." Ad Again...

Saw this recently. The lockout's dragged on too long... not that I've got time underway to watch any fuggin' games, but anyway.

Song of the Indeterminate Time Period, 18 January 2K5

Oh, the year was 1778
(How I wish I was in Sherbrooke now!)
A letter of marque came from the King
To the scummiest vessel I'd ever seen

God damn them all! I was told
We'd cruise the seas for American gold
We'd fire no guns, shed no tears
I'm a broken man on a Halifax pier
The last of Barrett's Privateers

Well, Elcid Barrett cried the town
(How I wish I was in Sherbrooke now!)
For twenty brave men, all fishermen, who
Would make for him the Antelope's crew

God damn them all! I was told
We'd cruise the seas for American gold
We'd fire no guns, shed no tears
I'm a broken man on a Halifax pier
The last of Barrett's Privateers

The Antelope sloop was a sickening sight
(How I wish I was in Sherbrooke now!)
She'd a list to the port, and her sails in rags
And the cook in the scuppers with the staggers and jags

God damn them all! I was told
We'd cruise the seas for American gold
We'd fire no guns, shed no tears
I'm a broken man on a Halifax pier
The last of Barrett's Privateers

On the King's birthday, we put to sea
(How I wish I was in Sherbrooke now!)
We were ninety-one days to Montego Bay
Pumping like madmen all the way

God damn them all! I was told
We'd cruise the seas for American gold
We'd fire no guns, shed no tears
I'm a broken man on a Halifax pier
The last of Barrett's Privateers

On the ninety-sixth day, we sailed again
(How I wish I was in Sherbrooke now!)
When a bloody great Yankee hove in sight
With our cracked four-pounders, we made to fight

God damn them all! I was told
We'd cruise the seas for American gold
We'd fire no guns, shed no tears
I'm a broken man on a Halifax pier
The last of Barrett's Privateers

The Yankee lay low down with gold
(How I wish I was in Sherbrooke now!)
She was broad and fat and loose in stays
But to catch her, took the Antelope two whole days

God damn them all! I was told
We'd cruise the seas for American gold
We'd fire no guns, shed no tears
I'm a broken man on a Halifax pier
The last of Barrett's Privateers

Then, at length, we stood two cables away
(How I wish I was in Sherbrooke now!)
Our cracked four-pounders made an awful din
But with one fat ball, the Yank stove us in

God damn them all! I was told
We'd cruise the seas for American gold
We'd fire no guns, shed no tears
I'm a broken man on a Halifax pier
The last of Barrett's Privateers

The Antelope shook and pitched on her side
(How I wish I was in Sherbrooke now!)
Well, Barrett was smashed like a bowl of eggs
And the main truck carried off both me legs

God damn them all! I was told
We'd cruise the seas for American gold
We'd fire no guns, shed no tears
I'm a broken man on a Halifax pier
The last of Barrett's Privateers

So, here I lay in my twenty-third year
(How I wish I was in Sherbrooke now!)
It's been six years since we sailed away
And I just made Halifax yesterday

God damn them all! I was told
We'd cruise the seas for American gold
We'd fire no guns, shed no tears
I'm a broken man on a Halifax pier
The last of Barrett's Privateers

-- Irish Descendants
"Barrett's Privateers" (traditional)

Song of the Indeterminate Time Period, 14 January 2K5

Sherry was a waitress at the only joint in town
She had a reputation as a girl who'd been around
Down Main Street after midnight, with a brand new pack of cigs
A fresh one hangin' from her lips, a beer between her legs
She'd ride down to the river and meet with all her friends
The road goes on forever and the party never ends

Sonny was a loner, he was older than the rest
He was going into the Navy, but he couldn't pass the test
So he hung around town, he sold a little pot
The law got wind of Sonny, one day he got caught
But he was back in business when they set him free again
The road goes on forever and the party never ends

Sonny's playin' 8-ball at the joint where Sherry works
When some drunken outtatowner put his hand up Sherry's skirt
Sonny took his pool cue, laid the drunk out on the floor
Stuffed a dollar in her tip jar, walked on out the door
She's runnin' right behind him, reachin' for his hand
The road goes on forever and the party never ends

They jumped into his pickup, Sonny jammed her down in gear
Sonny looked at Sherry, said "Let's get on outta here"
The stars were high above them, and the moon was in the east
The sun was settin' on them when they reached Miami Beach
They got a motel by the water, and a quart of Bombay gin
The road goes on forever and the party never ends

They soon ran out of money, but Sonny knew a man
Who knew some Cuban refugees that dealt in contraband
Sonny met the Cubans in a house just off the route
With a briefcase full of money, a pistol in his boot
The cards were on the table when the law came bustin' in
The road goes on forever and the party never ends

The Cubans grabbed the goodies and Sonny grabbed the Jack
He broke a bathroom window, and climbed on out the back
Sherry drove the pickup through the alley on the side
Where a lawman tackled Sonny and was reading him his rights
She stepped into the alley with a single shot .410
The road goes on forever and the party never ends

They left the lawman lyin', they made their getaway
They got back to the motel just before the break of day
Sonny gave her all the money, and he blew her a little kiss
If they ask you how this happened, say I forced you into this
She watched him as his taillights disappeared around the bend
The road goes on forever and the party never ends

Its Main Street after midnight, just like it was before
21 months later at the local grocery store
Sherry buys a paper and a cold six-pack of beer
The headlines read Sonny is goin' to the chair
She pulls back onto Main Street, in her new Mercedes-Benz
The road goes on forever and the party never ends

-- Robert Earl Keen
"The Road Goes On Forever"
The Party Never Ends (2003)

Song of the Indeterminate Time Period, 9 January 2K5

I play in a band, we're the best in the land
We're big in both Chelsea and France
I play one mean guitar and then score at the bar
There's a line of chicks waiting for their chance
So come on now honey, I'll make you feel pretty
These other gals mean nothing to me
Let's finish these drinks and be gone for the night
'Cause I'm more than a handfull you'll see

So kiss me, I'm shitfaced
I'm soaked and I'm soiled and I'm brown
In the trousers -- she kissed me!
And I only bought her one round

I can bench press a car, I'm an ex-football star
With degrees from both Harvard and Yale
Girls just can't keep up, I'm a real love machine
I've had far better sex while in jail
I designed the Sears Tower, I make two grand an hour
I cook the world's best duck flambe
I'll take the pick of the litter, girls jockey for me
I don't need these lines to get laid

So kiss me, I'm shitfaced
I'm soaked and I'm soiled and brown
In the trousers -- she kissed me!
And I only bought her one round

I'm the man of the night, a real lady's delight
See, my figure was chisled from stone
One more for the gal, then I'll escort her home
Come last call, I'm never alone
I've a house on the hill with a red waterbed
That puts Hugh Hefner's mansion to shame
With girls by the pool and Italian sports cars
I'm just here in this dump for the game

So kiss me, I'm shitfaced
I'm soaked and I'm soiled and brown
In the trousers -- she kissed me!
And I only bought her one round

So kiss me, I'm shitfaced
I'm soaked and I'm soiled and brown
In the trousers -- she kissed me!
And I only bought her one round

Aw, fuck it... whom I shittin'?
I'm a pitiful sight, and I ain't all that bright
I'm definitely not chiselled from stone
I'm a cheat and a liar, no woman's desire
I'll probably die cold and alone
But just give me a chance, 'cause deep down inside
I swear I got a big heart of gold
I'm a monogamous man, no more one night stands
Come on, honey, let me take you home

So kiss me, I'm shitfaced
I'm soaked and I'm soiled and brown
In the trousers -- she kissed me!
And I only bought her one round

So kiss me, I'm shitfaced
I'm soaked and I'm soiled and brown
In the trousers ("You're tiny!")
And I only bought her one round

-- Dropkick Murphys
"Kiss Me, I'm Shitfaced"
Blackout (2003)

Song of the Indeterminate Time Period, 4 January 2K5

I pulled into Nazareth, was feelin' about half past dead
I just need some place where I can lay my head
"Hey, mister, can you tell me where a man might find a bed?"
He just grinned and shook my hand, and "no!", was all he said

Take a load off Fanny, take a load for free
Take a load off Fanny
And - and - and - you put the load - you put the load - right on me

I picked up my bag, I went lookin' for a place to hide
When I saw Carmen and the Devil walkin' side by side
I said, "hey, Carmen, come on, let's go downtown"
She said, "I gotta go, but my friend can stick around"

Take a load off Fanny, take a load for free
Take a load off Fanny
And - and - and - you put the load - you put the load - right on me

Go down, Miss Moses, there's nothin' you can say
It's just ol' Luke, and Luke's waitin' on the Judgement Day
"Well, Luke, my friend, what about young Anna Lee?"
He said, "do me a favor, son, woncha stay an' keep Anna Lee company?"

Take a load off Fanny, take a load for free
Take a load off Fanny
And - and - and - you put the load - you put the load - right on me

Crazy Chester followed me and he caught me in the fog
He said, "I will fix your rack, if you'll take Jack, my dog"
I said, "wait a minute, Chester, you know I'm a peaceful man"
He said, "that's okay, boy, won't you feed him when you can"

Yeah, take a load off Fanny, take a load for free
Take a load off Fanny
And - and - and - you put the load - you put the load - right on me

Catch a cannon ball now to take me down the line
My bag is sinkin' low and I do believe it's time
To get back to Miss Fanny, you know she's the only one
Who sent me here with her regards for everyone

Take a load off Fanny, take a load for free
Take a load off Fanny
And - and - and - you put the load - you put the load - right on me

-- The Band
"The Weight"

Song of the Indeterminate Time Period, 2 January 2K5

The legend lives on from the Chippewa on down
Of the big lake they call Gitchy-Goomy
The lake, it is said, never gives up her dead
When the skies of November turn gloomy

With a load of iron ore twenty-six thousand tons more
Than the Edmund Fitzgerald weighed empty
That good ship, in truth, was a bone to be chewed
When the gales of November came early

The ship was the pride of the American side
Coming back from some mill in Wisconsin
As the big freighters go, it was bigger than most
With a crew and good captain well-seasoned

Concluding some terms with a couple of steel firms
When they left fully loaded for Cleveland
And later that night, when the ship's bell rang
Could it be the north wind they'd been feeling?

The wind in the wire made a tattle-tale sound
And a wave broke over the railing
And every man knew, as the captain did too
It was the Witch of November come stealing

The dawn came late and the breakfast had to wait
When the gales of November came slashing
When afternoon came, it was freezing rain
In the face of a hurricane west wind

When suppertime came, the old cook came on deck
Saying "Fellas, it's too rough to feed ya"
At 7 PM, the main hatchway caved in
He said, "Fellas, it's been good to know ya!"

The captain wired in he had water coming in
And the big ship and crew was in peril
And later that night, when his lights went out of sight
Came the wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald

Does anyone know where the love of God goes
When the waves turn the minutes to hours?
The searchers all say they'd've made Whitefish Bay
If they'd put fifteen more miles behind her

They might have split up, or they might have capsized
They may have broke wave and took water
And all that remains are the faces and the names
Of the wives and the sons and the daughters

Lake Huron rolls, Superior sings
In the rooms of her ice-water dungeon
Ol' Michigan steams like a young man's dreams
The islands and bays are for sportsmen

Farther below, Lake Ontario
Takes in what Lake Erie can send her
And the iron boats go, as the mariners all know
With the gales of November remembered

It a musty old hall in Detroit, they prayed
In the Maritime Sailors' Cathedral
The church bell chimed until it rang twenty-nine times
For each man on the Edmund Fitzgerald

The legend lives on from the Chippewa on down
Of the big lake they call Gitchy-Goomy
Superior, they say, never gives up her dead
When the gales of November come early

-- Gordon Lightfoot
"The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald"