in the engine room
dreamin' as I'm steamin'
w/the waves of heat
ripplin' offf of my back
vapor lock clock stopped
time hangs limp for the rememberin' dream
in the engine room, hey - oh!
can we do it? "hell, surely" winks fireman hurley
as he slips from his shelf
"hey, you earned your rate, machinist mate
you're the left-hand man of the boilerman"
in the engine room, hey - oh!
in the engine room, hey - oh!
a voice from the tube says the boat's gotta move
can we do it? "we can do it!"
where the only wind blowin'
is from the limbs that we're throwin'
in the rhythm that we're hymnin'
syncopatin'
in the engine room, hey - oh!
in the engine room, hey - oh!
and if we get the heave-ho
keep her steady as she goes
and come on down into the engine room, hey - oh!
eyes dialed on the meters
fingers handling the levers
seems we're man-machine men
but what seems like just ain't right
in fact we're conducting our own symphony
improvising
in the engine room, hey - oh!
in the engine room, hey - oh!
and when it feels smooth in the engine room
you know she's running true
in the engine room, hey - oh!
and to the troops in the trench
let me let you use my wrench
and come on down into the engine room, hey - oh!
deny us, you can hide us
pretend we're not there, we don't care
tough
cuz if the feel feels real
then we'll take it on the chin
but we're taking no guff!
no way, not
in the engine room, hey - oh!
in the engine room, hey - oh!
and if I get the heave-ho
keep her steady as she goes
keep her steady as she goes
steady as she goes
red bluff
it was '39 and what a time to be born in
but you were born then
world at war, tore and sore as all hell
oh well
red bluff
red bluff
red bluff
little boy with all that noise and symbol
not so simple
the neighbor's doors just waiting for your painting
your interpretating
red bluff
red bluff
red bluff
old b.b. beat the jeebies out of your hide
you dreamed of killing him each night
his pop (your grandpop) got the brain-pop
keeled over ragin' full-on
red bluff
red bluff
red bluff
went to work for that church when they promised schoolin'
but they were just foolin', damn
and getting a girl preggers was the last straw
can you still hear your ma sayin':
dickie, dickie, oh dickie?
red bluff
red bluff
red bluff
gotta get the fuck out of red bluff
the bluejackets' manual
what the hell, I'll try that
buyin' into this military crap
bluejackets', bluejackets', bluejackets'
memory's an enemy
forget? you goddamn bet!
bluejackets', bluejackets', bluejackets'
let the camp boot the fuck out of me
knocked me clear right into next week
bluejackets, bluejackets, bluejackets
there ya go, pogo
from spits and fits to slams and kicks
bluejackets', bluejackets', bluejackets'
there's a flower
a purple flower pressed there
there's a flower
next to the page on
CLOSE ORDER DRILL!!
whirling dervish w/my fists in the air
I don't fuckin' even care
bluejackets', bluejackets', bluejackets'
don't think, don't blink
the drill, the drill - it fills and fills
bluejackets', bluejackets', bluejackets',bluejackets',
bluejackets', bluejackets', bluejackets'
the bluejackets' manual
pedro bound!
I'm pedro bound, it's a sailor's town
got my orders and lighted out
when I got down to pedro town
got me a bike to have a look around
went south on pacific
'till I hit land's end
starboard on shepard
down to point fermin
heard the yammerin' parrots
I call the loudmen
crack of dawn with an orange sun
eye gifts flowin', one after one
paseo del mar
was my peddlin' path
checked royal palms
heard the ocean laugh
at the trailer park
turned 'round and came back
watched catalina as east I rode
saw sunken city and the cliffs all throwed
then cabrillo beach
to the end of the pier
to what was fort mac
now a marina's here
22nd to canetti's
down to warehouse one
fishing fleet, tug fleet, fireboat house
vincent thomas bridge all stretched out
a local 13 longie
shook me a hook
'membered bloody thursday
and the lives it took
he's a longshoreman
a pedro man
I'm pedro bound, this sailor's town
think I've found my home town
pedro now forever bound
the boilerman
'member you meetin' me?
jumped right out that tree
had the carlin wired
boy, how that spiel inspired
knocked me out, I was slayed
changed forever from that day
sang me some creedance songs
I was your bassman from then on
I'm a lucky man
to know that man
a hell of a man
the boilerman
boy, oh boy, oh boilerman
boil, boil, boil over boilerman
together with you I think I can
make it
we sure had curious minds
discussin' all the time
outsiders lookin' in
wonderin' what, why and when?
who were the frauds, who held the purse?
what was our labor worth?
well, you worked that six-string strong
filled our engine room with song
I'm a lucky man
to know that man
a hell of a man
the boilerman
boy, oh boy, oh boilerman
boil, boil, boil over boilerman
together with you I think I can
make it
history, facts and names
we'd set it up just like a chess game
reinact the puzzle
parallel our struggle
burst out loud with belly laughs
live each day like it was our last
with you here I had no fear
made all my reasons clear
I'm a lucky man
to know that man
a hell of a man
the boilerman
boy, oh boy, oh boilerman
boil, boil, boil over boilerman
together with you I think we can...
I love you, man
black gang coffee
grindin' beans in the grinder
my life's a grinder
freon blast got me blinded
damn, my nose still could find the
black gang coffee
cookin' on the motor
black gang coffee
it'll spin your rotor!
black gang coffee
cookin' on the motor
black gang coffee
it'll spin your rotor!
perc - perc - perc - percolator
this boat's a grater
it's miles not years sure made her
hell, I know I'll never trade her
black gang coffee
cookin' on the motor
black gang coffee
it'll spin your rotor!
black gang coffee
cookin' on the motor
black gang coffee
it'll spin your rotor!
watch us whirl!
put some cranks on the winder
our life's a winder
wrapped around the igniter
never find a tighter binder
black gang coffee
cookin' on the motor
black gang coffee
it'll spin your rotor!
black gang coffee
cookin' on the motor
black gang coffee
it'll spin your rotor!
black gang coffee
cookin' on the motor
black gang coffee
it'll spin your rotor!
black gang coffee
cookin' on the motor
black gang coffee
it'll spin your rotor!
watch us whirl!
it's a whirl world!
watch us whirl!
what makes watt twirl?
topsiders
when a black gang man climbs up the stairs,
sticks his head out the hatch and what does he see?
topsiders!
I get to thinking and what a mind-blow
all the folks that float this boat
sure, we're all brothers but with different gigs
and the engine room was the mission mens'
we took the hitch, the black gang crew
deliverin' torque right to the screw
under the deck, we'd hear the topsiders' feet
everyone wailing their own beat
still see them sailors in my brain
fixin' their faces to their names
cadena, mugger, robo, ginn
baiza, brewer, stevenson
holtzman, bostrom, hart, dukowski
rollins, the kirkwoods, spot, carducci
norton, ward, claasen, mould
and the boat's main painter, pettibon
when a black gang man climbs up the stairs,
sticks his head out the hatch and what does he see?
when a black gang man climbs up the stairs,
sticks his head out the hatch and what does he see?
topsiders!
no one says old man
(to the old man)
on the bridge in command stands the old man
all our wills bound up in his hands
hardly see him but we feel him even down here
and a thread though our heads has us all ears
no one never ever says old man to the old man
no one never, never ever says old man to the old man
to the old man, the old man
he makes just the slightest kind of motion
then there's a turn on the wheel by the coxswain
and a blast on the pipe by the boson
as the bow of the boat plows the ocean
no one never ever says old man to the old man
no one never, never ever says old man to the old man
to the old man, the old man
"mr. handley, would you defend a man you knew was guilty"?
"mr. watt, I'm not going to answer that but I will say this:
maybe it's more a question of how much guilty and how much innocent"
yo ho, oh yo, yo ee oh
oh yo, yo oh ho
an eye at the top of the pyramid
focused on the place where it's all hid
the undertow flow of the current
rushing all through me as I learn it
no one never ever says old man to the old man
no one never, never ever says old man to the old man
to the old man, the old man
for everything revealed, something's concealed
and for everything concealed, something's revealed
yo ho, oh yo, yo ee oh
oh yo, yo oh ho
yo ho, oh yo, yo ee oh
oh yo, yo oh ho
fireman hurley
unit man
hey, that's you, man
happenin'
the way you make it spin
said you had to poke and stoke your own hope
poke and stoke your own hope
poke and stoke
stoke and poke
poke and stoke your own hope, fireman hurley
fireman hurley
rope trick man
I'm your left hand man
swing that stick
boot that kick
said you had to poke and stoke your own hope
poke and stoke your own hope
poke and stoke
stoke and poke
poke and stoke your own hope, fireman hurley
fireman hurley
sailin' all these years
through the joys and tears
still cracks me up
when you call me chowder pump
said you had to poke and stoke your own hope
poke and stoke your own hope
poke and stoke
stoke and poke
poke and stoke your own hope, fireman hurley
fireman hurley
liberty calls!
liberty calls on a liberty call!
six weeks at sea
and what does that mean?
we need liberty!
rolling with the hell-ride
yaw and pitchin' inside
liberty!
clear the gangway, pop the hatches
fireman hurley sayin' "get them batches!"
we're sailor men and we're in your town
drink that bourbon right straight down!
we're mission men and here to learn
here to take on fuel and burn!
liberty calls on a liberty call!
me and the boilerman
checking out the other lands with what?
our liberty!
figuring out the histories
tripping on the mysteries
liberty!
clear the gangway, pop the hatches
fireman hurley sayin' "get them batches!"
we're sailor men and we're in your town
drink that bourbon right straight down!
we're mission men and here to learn
here to take on fuel and burn!
in the bunk room / navy wife
two streams, one dream
intertwined inbetween
bending, blending, never ending
gonna love that girl the rest of my life
gonna make her my navy wife
love that girl the rest of my life
gonna make her my navy wife
help the hon, find her morning sun
feel her breath
catch her breath
look boy
you married the navy, it's your life
can't make that lady your navy wife
married once, can't marry twice
can't make that lady your navy wife
here's a whisper
I'm your motor purr
spirit bird
crossing the equator
you were a pollywog
now you're a shellback
you were a pollywog
now you're a shellback
you were a pollywog
now you're a shellback
well, ok but what's that?
it's where you're at
oh
breaking the choke hold
a drowning man
can pull you under
along with him
no thought or reason
emotion seizing
every limb
breaking the choke hold
breaking the choke hold
breaking the choke hold
time slows to nothing
like it's bluffing
from moving on
it takes forever
seems it's never
really gone
breaking the choke hold
breaking the choke hold
breaking the choke hold
breaking the choke hold
breaking the choke hold
breaking the choke hold
resigning your grip
feel you slip
slip away
knowin' you're goin'
water foamin'
your last wave
breaking the choke hold
breaking the choke hold
breaking the choke hold
breaking the choke hold
breaking the choke hold
breaking the choke hold
wrapped around the screw
it's over boy
you're overboard
missing at sea
missing from me
they found you
wrapped around the screw
your last foul-up
all fouled up
and wrapped around the screw
shore duty
the unforgiving sea
tore you from me
left me here pullin' shore duty
your body gone
but your spirit bird's still sailing on
shore duty
sure, I'm a lucky man
but how I miss you, man
all alone and pulling shore duty
seems there's always more duty
maybe that's the beauty
all lyrics by mike watt
all songs published by tHUNDERsPIELS (BMI)
"contemplating the engine room"
produced by mike watt
nels cline - guitars
steve hodges - drums
watt - thud staff, spiel
recorded and mixed may 5 to june 21, 1997
bobby seifert - knobsman