Bude for Christmas
The strange lad shanties how a boy dove in the Christmas sea and, with a new crew, pulled a miracle home.
The unvarnished timber cracked with one loud sound, My father couldn’t swim, and he looked wildly round. My brother’s teddy bear flew out to the raging sea, And all our Christmas hopes began to sink with me.
I counted three and jumped into the tide, The icy water froze the panicking heart inside. I held on fast with a cramping, aching grip, And prayed to see a friendly fishing ship.
(chorus) Heave lads, heave, the sea runs cold! A story for the maid, a tale to be told! Pull for the shore, with all your might! We’ll see Bude for Christmas bright!
Then through the mist, a rigged tosher loomed, Her decks all slick with mackerel, my senses doomed. A siren’s call cut through the driving rain, And giant hands pulled us from the watery pain.
(chorus) Heave lads, heave, the sea runs cold! A story for the maid, a tale to be told! Pull for the shore, with all your might! We’ll see Bude for Christmas bright!
Wrapped in rough blankets against the chill bone, Ten souls on a boat that fought the churning sea alone. A rough hand patted my shoulder and said, “Heave now, with the rest!” And in that pull, I faced the boy’s most difficult test.
They showed me knots and to read the spray, And worked beside me ‘til the break of day. The stars were hid by a blanket of grey, With the gale at our backs, roaring all the way.
(chorus) Heave lads, heave, the sea runs cold! A story for the maid, a tale to be told! Pull for the shore, with all your might! We’ll see Bude for Christmas bright!
Then in the dawn, old Widemouth Bay appeared, The Bude lights shone, our journey’s end so clear. A cheer like “Ho! Ho! Ho!” rose up from every throat, Alive and well within that little boat.
(chorus) So sing it out, lads, the sea ran cold! A story for the maid, a tale to be told! We’ve won the shore, with all our might! We’re home in Bude for Christmas alright!