Bob Dylan - Tempest lyrics

[Verse 1] The pale moon rose in its glory Out o'er the Western town She told a sad, sad story Of the great ship that went down [Verse 2] T'was the fourteenth day of April Over the waves she rode Sailing into tomorrow To a gilded age foretold [Verse 3] The night was black with starlight The seas were sharp and clear Moving through the shadows The promised hour was near [Verse 4] Lights were holding steady Gliding over the foam All the lords and ladies Heading for their eternal home [Verse 5] The chandeliers were swaying From the balustrades above The orchestra was playing Songs of faded love [Verse 6] The watchman, he lay dreaming As the ballroom dancers twirled He dreamed the Titanic was sinking Into the underworld [Verse 7] Leo took his sketchbook He was often so inclined He closed his eyes and painted The scenery in his mind [Verse 8] Cupid struck his bosom And broke it with a snap The closest woman to him He fell into her lap [Verse 9] He heard a loud commotion Something sounded wrong His inner spirit was saying That he couldn't stand here long [Verse 10] He staggered to the quarterdeck No time now to sleep Water on the quarterdeck Already three foot deep [Verse 11] Smokestack was leaning sideways Heavy feet began to pound He walked into the whirlwind Sky splitting all around [Verse 12] The ship was going under The universe had opened wide The roll was called up yonder The angels turned aside [Verse 13] Lights down in the hallway Flickering dim and dull Dead bodies already floating In the double bottom hull [Verse 14] The engines then exploded Propellers they failed to start The boilers overloaded The ship's bow split apart [Verse 15] Pa**engers were flying Backward, forward, far and fast They mumbled, fumbled, and tumbled Each one more weary than the last [Verse 16] The veil was torn asunder 'Tween the hours of twelve and one No change, no sudden wonder Could undo what had been done [Verse 17] The watchman lay there dreaming At forty-five degrees He dreamed that the Titanic was sinking Dropping to her knees [Verse 18] Wellington he was sleeping His bed began to slide His valiant heart was beating He pushed the tables aside [Verse 19] Gla** of shattered crystal Lay scattered roundabout He strapped on both his pistols How long could he hold out? [Verse 20] His men and his companions Were nowhere to be seen In silence there he waited for Time and space to intervene [Verse 21] The pa**ageway was narrow There was blackness in the air He saw every kind of sorrow Heard voices everywhere [Verse 22] Alarm-bells were ringing To hold back the swelling tide Friends and lovers clinging To each other side by side [Verse 23] Mothers and their daughters Descending down the stairs Jumped into the icy waters Love and pity sent their prayers [Verse 24] The rich man, Mister Astor Kissed his darling wife He had no way of knowing Be the last trip of his life [Verse 25] Calvin, Blake, and Wilson Gambled in the dark Not one of them would ever live to Tell the tale or disembark [Verse 26] Brother rose up 'gainst brother In every circumstance They fought and slaughtered each other In a deadly dance [Verse 27] They lowered down the lifeboats From the sinking wreck There were traitors, there were turncoats Broken backs and broken necks [Verse 28] The bishop left his cabin To help all those in need Turned his eyes up to the heavens Said, "The poor are yours to feed" [Verse 29] Davey the brothel-keeper Came out dismissed his girls Saw the water getting deeper Saw the changing of his world [Verse 30] Jim Backus smiled He never learned to swim Saw the little crippled child And he gave his seat to him [Verse 31] He saw the starlight shining Streaming from the East d**h was on the rampage But his heart was now at peace [Verse 32] They battened down the hatches But the hatches wouldn't hold They drowned upon the staircase Of bra** and polished gold [Verse 33] Leo said to Cleo I think I'm going mad But he'd lost his mind already Whatever mind he had [Verse 34] He tried to block the doorway To save all those from harm Blood from an open wound Pouring down his arm [Verse 35] Petals fell from flowers Tell all of them were gone In the long and dreadful hours The wizard's curse played on [Verse 36] The host was pouring brandy He was going down slow He stayed right to the end and he Was the last to go [Verse 37] There were many, many others Nameless here forever more They never sailed the ocean Or left their homes before [Verse 38] The watchman, he lay dreaming The damage had been done He dreamed the Titanic was sinking And he tried to tell someone [Verse 39] The captain, barely breathing Kneeling at the wheel Above him and beneath him Fifty thousand tons of steel [Verse 40] He looked over at his compa** And he gazed into its face Needle pointing downward He knew he lost the race [Verse 41] In the dark illumination He remembered bygone years He read the Book of Revelation And he filled his cup with tears [Verse 42] When the Reaper's task had ended Sixteen hundred had gone to rest The good, the bad, the rich, the poor The loveliest and the best [Verse 43] They waited at the landing And they tried to understand But there is no understanding For the judgment of God's hand [Verse 44] The news came over the wires And struck with deadly force The love had lost its fires All things had run their course [Verse 45] The watchman he lay dreaming Of all the things that can be He dreamed the Titanic was sinking Into the deep blue sea