Gordon Bok – Song Of The Wheelhouse Door (Guitar)

Dm
Winter's ice clings to cliff

   F               C
To beach and empty shell

    Dm
The grey wind moans on the bones of the summer

    F                   C
And takes a slap at the bell

    Dm
And all the boats are upside down

                 C
Hull down on the shore

Dm
Parson G, Clarissa Lee

                           C
That used-up, short-rigged whore

    Bb
The Lindy Lou with her sides stove through

        F                   C
And her keel all rotten and tore

C
And it's many a night when the wind's been right

                              Bb
And the weather's been getting poor

Bb
I try to sleep, but I can't sleep

        F                         C    Bb   F   C
For the banging of the wheelhouse door

     Dm
So I lie in bed, like a kid, you know

F                 C
Hoping she'll go away

    Dm
But no such luck, goddamn her bones

        F                       C
So it's down to the kitchen for me

Dm
Find the old pipe and get it lit up

                            C
Bring down the tea from the shelf

Dm
Ida's been gone since 'Sixty-One

        F               C
So I've had to do for myself

       Bb
And as soon as the smoke's curling over the book

        F                      C
And the tea's getting ready to pour

                               Bb
Then as sure as I stand, I can hear Pete McCann

        F                         C    Bb   F   C
And the banging of the wheelhouse door

Dm
Pete and me, we were headed home

     F                   C
With half a catch in the hold

Dm
Tryin' to raise the South Head light

     F             C
And, Jesus, did it blow

       Dm
By the time we heard the breakers

                           C
We were too close in on to shore

                              Bb
With a prayer and a curse, we felt her lurch

       F                C
As the rocks dug in and tore

                                 Bb
And I got knocked off my feet, I couldn't find Pete

  F                 C
I don't recall much more

    Bb
But Lindy Lou, cryin' and dyin'

        F             C
And the ocean roaring through

                                Bb
And the last thing I heard, the noise, not a word

    F                         C    Bb   F   C
The banging of the wheelhouse door

  Dm
I woke up four days later

     F              C
In a hospital in St John's

     Dm
In a body cast, 'cause I hurt my back

         F                C
And they told me Pete was gone

     Dm
They never found his body

                                  C
Though they searched ten miles of shore

    Dm
And me, I'm alone and my back's gone

      F             C
And I can't fish no more

    Bb
And Lindy Lou with her sides stove through

        F              C
She was dragged out on shore

                                  Bb
And there's many a night when the wind's been right

        F                      C
And the weather's been getting poor

                            Bb
I try to sleep, but I can't sleep

        F                         C    Bb   F    C
For the banging of the wheelhouse door