Ballad of the Mary Celeste
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In the town of Spencers Island
On the Bay of Fundy shore
Old Dewis built a cargo ship
Like many built before
He rigged her as a brigantine
And she was carvel-built
With a hull as smooth as canvas
Like the sails the wind would fill
He smashed the bottle on her
In the spring of 61
And he gave her name at Parrsboro
As the mighty Amazon
McLellan was the captain
And the shareholders agreed
That upon her maiden voyage
She would sail across the sea
From the place they call Five Islands
Where the trees would be felled down
And the timbers showed the carpenters
Who worked in London town
The captain took a fever
And upon death's door did knock
They rushed him back to Spencer
And he died there on the dock
John Parker took the helm
Although his wife had begged in vain
The captain just before him died
On the maiden voyage day
He pushed aside her pleadings
But the trouble struck again
They got tangled up in fishing gear
In the narrows down in Maine
And it wasn't ten weeks later
In the English Channel waves
They accidentally rammed a brig
And sent it to its grave
Two years later Thompson took her
In the long West Indies trade
She stopped in France and had
Her picture painted in Marseille
He thought the turmoil ended
Lady Luck had turned around
But only four years later
She was smashed and drove aground
On the island of Cape Breton
Near the mines of old Glace Bay
She was so badly battered
That the crew just walked away
But the Capers didn't keep her
It was only 30 days
When they sold it to a Yankee
By the name of Richard Haines
He spent 8000 dollars
To make her float again
And he named himself the captain
In the New York harbour rain
He changed her given moniker
To the name we know the best
When he registered with customs
He called her the Mary Celeste
It was only ten months later
Haines had finally run his race
He lost everything he owned
And slipped into a sad disgrace
His creditors had seized her
And for refit she was sent
They made her four feet longer
And new timbers would be bent
They hired a famous mariner
For a share of 33
Captain Briggs then stepped up to the helm
And put her out to sea
Across the wide Atlantic
To the old Italian shore
With his wife and infant daughter
And his crewmen seven more
The hold filled tight with barrels
Of denatured alcohol
He said, "A finer crew
Could not be ever found at all"
They made it 27 days
Across the briny sea
Then became the greatest legend
In mariner history
She was spotted off of Portugal
By a crew that trailed behind
The cargo ship Dei Gratia
Would make a horrible find
They swung along beside her
In the whisper of the waves
But they didn't find a living soul
As swore unto their graves
There was no mark upon her
Not a drop of blood they found
And the barrels in her cargo hold
Were sealed up safe and sound
Dei Gratia means "the grace of God"
It's ironic, so it seems
That Briggs's wife and daughter
Were deserted by its means
They found the baby's rattle
And the table set below
In the galley where the steaming pots
Were in the oven's glow
They found the captain's sword
Lying still beneath his bed
But for all intents and purposes
The Mary Celeste was dead
She was salvaged and returned then
For the service she was made
But only six years later
Her new captain filled the grave
And the last man who would hold her
Well, Parker made his fame
He sunk her for insurance
And the courts destroyed his name
In 90 days, he lost his life
His family, and his wealth
And the first mate dodged the hangman's noose
But later hung himself
This story makes me wonder
Are there things we cannot know?
Are there spirits in the ancient trees
Where men aren't meant to go?
Where did the timbers come from
When Dewis swung his axe?
Did he ignore some warning
That tried to turn him back?
We'll never know the answers
They are riddles of the sea
When all is said and done
But for the grace of God go we