Strike the Bell

STRIKE THE BELL

(Lead vocal - Skip Henderson) The lyrics of this tune refer to the practice of keeping "Bell Time." The sailor's workday was divided into shifts of 4 hours on duty and 4 hours off. Every half-hour the mate would mark the time by ringing the ship's bell, adding one more strike with each half hour. This culmi-nated after four hours with eight bells being rung, signaling the shift change, a moment the sailors waited for enthusiastically. This was the sailor's version of a 19th century music hall song called "Ring the Bell Watchman," by Henry C. Work, a popular song writer of the time.

Up on the poop deck,
walking all about
there stands the 2nd mate,
so sturdy and so stout
what he is a’thinking,
he don’t know himself
and we wish that he would hurry up
and strike, strike the bell

CHORUS
strike the bell 2nd mate
and let us go below
look well to windward,
you can see its going to blow
looking at the glass,
you can see that it fell
and we wish that you would hurry up
and strike, strike the bell

Down on the main deck,
working on the pumps
is the poor larboard watch
wishing for their bunk
looking out to windward
you can see a mighty swell
and we wish that you would hurry up
and strike, strike the bell

Down in the wheelhouse,
Old Anderson stands
grasping at the helm
with his frost bitten hands
looking cockeyed at the compass,
but the course is clear as, ...well..
and we wish that you would hurry up
and strike, strike the bell

Well, down in his cabin,
our gallant captain stands
looking out the transom
with a spyglass in his hands
what he is a-thinking,
we all know very well
he’s thinking more to shorten sail
then striking the bell

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