On the Building of the Boat

歌詞

In the building of the boat Perhaps a fatal flaw And it catches in my throat To think that I foresaw It's an age-old story told But I'll tell it once again Of a knot that slipped its hold And a story has to end In the building of the boat Perhaps a nail was bent In the crossbeams set afloat And by this an omen meant In the naming of the trees Perhaps this one too young Made it weaken in the knees And made it come undone In the building of the boat The tools lay side by side Joining tongue and groove So smoothly it did glide In the carving of the bow In the likeness of a bird As if it could sing now Everything I'd heard In the building of the boat There's always chance unseen Of the white squalls angry shoals Dark faces of the deep Curse the builder of this boat Curse him all to hell But for an old man's salty hope For I know he built it well In the building of the boat Perhaps a fatal flaw