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the brig julia dean - matthew dechant lyrics

from when i was just a baby i’ve been sailing these inland seas
and i never thought i’d hear the accusation of piracy
down in barbados, port*au*prince, or on jamaica’s shores
and only then in fanciful tellings of the days of yore
yet here i stand on michigan’s strand and i’ll go to sea no more

built in 1854, she was called the julia dean
her masts brushed against the clouds, her deck had a l*strous sheen
one cold october morning, hold filled to brim with wheat
we left chicago northward, montreal for to greet
ignorant freight, not knowing the fate we were about to meet

rounding the upper peninsula, three hundred miles from port
we sighted beaver island, home of king strang and his cohort
he founded the stake of zion, and mantled the crown of tin
bringing the mormons of voree along to follow him
a new theocracy, to be free from avarice and sin

we sighted this land in the early dawn, the coastline dusted with snow
near sk!llagalee, we kept our watch for the gravel shoals below
we saw no light, we thought it safe, yet a thunderous blow we took
and i nearly fell as our ship with force of a bolt of lightning shook
taking on water, the gravel shoals caught her like a fishing hook

the sky was thick and the wind was sharp, no red light to be seen
the darkness ahead was the darkness that lead to the end of the julia dean
the deck beneath me splintered as i clung to an open crate
and i didn’t know what had become of me or my men’s fate
our captain swore he had heard this before, about the switch and bait
a tugboat soon greeted us, with “rescue” marking her side
captain wilson took a head count, and saw that none had died
glad we were, yet wilson had a murderous look in his eye
for as we reached the island we saw a lighthouse standing high
and pulling in port, through the snow’s distort, a beam lit up the sky

captain wilson took to the papers, crying “piracy on the lake!”
“those mormons on beaver island, they sink ships for to take”
“they blinded the lighthouse, i saw it myself, and now the truth i must tell”
and soon enough, other captains up and cried “yes, ’twas i as well”
as their words were printed, the truth was minted, all in parallel

i’m the first mate of the julia dean, edward gaylord is my name
and though i went the chase the sea, a mormon i was raised
now i’m no friend of strang, or of rigdon, or of young
but i cannot help but wonder if old wilson ran his tongue
and only god knows what truly arose, or what of their soul will become

- matthew dechant lyrics

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