Stan Rogers – The Mary Ellen Carter (Ukulele)

    / G                   /
She / went down last Oc - / tober,

     / F   -   C       / C
In a / pouring driving / rain,

    / Am                /
The / skipper he'd been / drinking and

    / F               / C
The / mate he felt no / pain,

    / G                   /
Too / close to Three Mile / Rock and

        / F                / C
She was / dealt her mortal / blow and

    / Dm                        / C
The / Mary Ellen Carter settled / low.

          / C                /
There was / just us five a - / board her,

         /  F              / C
When she / finally was a - / wash,

   / Am                  /
We / worked like hell to / save her,

    / F               / C
All / heedless of the / cost, and

    / G                 /
The / groan she gave as / she went down,

   / F                  / C
It / caused us to pro - / claim,

         / Dm         / C                     / C
That the / Mary Ellen / Carter would rise a - / gain.

         / G                /
Well the / owners wrote her / off,

      / F  -   C          / C
Not a / nickel would they / spend,

          / Am              /
"She gave / twenty years of / service, boys,

     / F             / C
Then / met her sorry / end.

         / G                /
But in - / surance paid the / loss to us,

   / F                / C
So / let her rest be- / low.",

          / Dm
Then they / laughed at us, and,

               / C
Said we had to / go.

       / G                 /
But we / talked of her all / winter,

     / F               / C
Some / days around the / clock.

      / Am              /
She's / worth a quarter / million,

   / F               / C
A -/ floating at the / dock and

     / G              /
With / every jar that / hit the bar,

   /                     / G
We / swore we would re - / main and

         / Dm         / C               / C
Make the / Mary Ellen / Carter rise a - / gain!

         / Dm -  C        / C
Rise a - / gain, rise a - / gain,

         / C           / F
That her / name not be / lost,

       / C            / C
To the / knowledge of / men,

    / G                   /
All / those who loved her / best and

     / F                 / C
Were / with her 'til the / end,

              / Dm         / C                / C
Will make the / Mary Ellen / Carter, rise a - / gain.

    / G                     /
All / spring now we've been / with her,

     / F    -     C    / C
On a / barge lent by a / friend.

      / Am               /
Three / dives a day in a / hardhat suit, and

F                  / C
Twice I've had the / bends.

      / G             /
Thank / God it's only / sixty feet, and

    / F                 / C
The / currents here are / slow, or

    / Am             /
I'd / never have the / strength,

           / C
To go be - / low.

          / G                  /
But we've / patched her rents, / stopped her vents,

       / F                     / C
Dogged / hatch, and Portholes  / down,

    / Am             /
Put / cables to her, / fore and aft and

F              / C
Girded her a - / round,

     / G               /
To - / morrow noon, we / hit the air and

F                / C
Then take up the / strain, and

         / Dm         / C               / C
Make the / Mary Ellen / Carter rise a - / gain!

       / G                   /
For we / couldn't  leave her / there,

           / F   -   C    / C
You see to / crumble into / scale.

      / Am                  /
She'd / saved our lives, so / many times,

F                  / C
Living through the / gale, and

    / G                 /
The / laughing, drunken / rats,

             / F          / C
Who left her / to a sorry / grave,

     / Am                /            / D
They / won't be laughing / in another / day, and

C                 /              / F               / C
You, to whom ad - / versity, has / dealt the final / blow,

     / Am               /
With / smiling bastards / lying to you,

F              / C
Everywhere you / go,

     / G               /
Turn / to, and put out / all your strength,

   / F                  / C
Of / arm, and heart and / brain, and

         / Dm         / C               / C
Like the / Mary Ellen / Carter rise a - / gain!

         / Dm    / C        / C
Rise a - / gain, / rise a - / gain,

            / C            / F
Though your / heart, it be / broken, or

C             /  C
Life about to / end,

   / G                  /
No / matter what you've / lost,

        / F               / C
Be it a / home, a love, a / friend,

         / Dm         / C               / C
Like the / Mary Ellen / Carter rise a - / gain!