Jack Howard - Coming By Sea lyrics

That's it, I see it now, there's the rub; Not the plain truth of their plight, The flight From God Knows What, God Knows Where; It's the boat, the leaky tub, That's what we fear – (Less that they should be there - Wherever that is- Rather than here). We're disabled by the boat, And are like the boat; Atavism at work, it's clear. Noah's hierarchical ark; The Roman galleys, (Misery kept those afloat); The vexatious Vikings (Progenitors of terror's craft); The shameful cargo of slave ships: Distress binds both ships and sea. The horror of Medusa's raft Pared us back to the dark within. So can we be sure That these too have not succumbed To the same unimaginable, irredeemable sin? Why can't they do the acceptable thing? Come by plane? Alight from a train? An orderly arrival, neat and clean. But boats? Too much flesh scorched By sun, shrunk by rain. A condition better not seen. You might think they'd show Some sensitivity; would know That we too have reason to flee: From all those ugly things That once crawled, oh, way back, From out of the sea.