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Tie Her Up

by Gordon Bok

on Apples in the Basket (2005)

Tie her up and let her rot, for it soon will be forgot
That we ever built a boat to match the men
Puget Island born and bred to the grey skies overhead
And we'll never see the likes of her again

Tie her up and let her rot, for the last fish that I caught
Never made enough to buy the gas that day
When you're going after salmon, it is feast or it is famine
And it looks like Mister Famine's here to stay

Tie her up and let her rot, for the sons that I begot
Have made their fame and fortune on the land
And they laugh when they explain, they don't miss the wind and rain
But it's just not in my blood to understand

Tie her up and let her rot, for I think it matters not
Where my father's father's father fished before
From the river to the sea, now it ends right here with me
There will be no Larsons fish here anymore

Tie her up and let her rot, for we found a pretty spot
And we can't afford to lose another dime
And if the floods wash her away, well, who am I to say
She will run this mighty river one last time
And if the floods wash her away, well, who am I to say
Let her run this mighty river one last time