The Thresher lyrics

Artist	Phil Ochs
Album(s)	All The News That's Fit To Sing

Lyrics

Bm f# bm

In portsmouth town on the eastern shore



Em a f

Where many a fine ship was born



Bm g

The thresher was built



F# bm

And the thresher was launched



Em a f#

And the crew of the thresher was sworn



Bm g

She was shaped like a tear



F# bm

She was built like a shark



Em a f#

She was made to run fast and free



Bm g

And the builders shook their hands



F# bm

And the builders shared their wine



Em a f#

And thought that they had mastered the sea



Bm f#

Yes, she'll always run silent



Em f#

And she'll always run deep



Em bm

Though the ocean has no pity



A f#

Though the waves will never weep



Bm

They'll never weep



And they marvelled at her speed

Marvelled at her depth

Marvelled at her deadly design

And they sailed to every land

And they sailed to every port

Just to see what faults they could find

Then they put her on the land

For nine months to stand

And they worked on her from stem to stern

But they could never see

It was their coffin to be

For the sea was waiting for their return



Yes, she'll always run silent

And she'll always run deep

Though the ocean has no pity

And the waves will never weep

They'll never weep



On a cold wednesday morn

They put her her out to sea

When the waves they were nine feet high

And they dove beneath the waves

And they dove to their graves

And they never said a last goodbye

And its deeper and deeper

And deeper they dove

Just to see what their ship could stand

But the hull gave a moan

And the hull gave a groan

And they plunged to the deepest darkest sand



Now she lies in the depths

Of the darkened ocean floor

Covered by the waters cold and still

Oh can't you see the wrong

She was a death ship all along

Died before she had a chance to kill



[Final chorus same but in past tense]



[Alternate final verse from an early broadside tape]



And it's 8000 fathoms of the water above

And over 100 men below

And sealed in their tomb

Is the cause of their doom

That only the sea will ever know

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