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Requiem For The Mesquite by Lee Murdock
Requiem For The Mesquite
Tuning: E A D G B E
Capo: 3rd fret
Key: Cm
[Verse 1]
Am C G Am
Smoke curls up from the embers of a cigarette,
F C G
And lingers in the snowy, silent night.
Am Em F C
And I stand here, nestled in an emptiness
Dm Am G
And watch the distant pulsing harbor light.
F C G Am
Seventeen years, I’d gladly give them back
F C G
For that first-class cutter in her prime;
F C G Am
I worked my way up from cadet, she was my first command,
F C G Am
Now it just seems a waste of time—a sorry waste of time.
[Verse 2]
Am C G Am
Five years ago, this very night, not far from here,
F C G
The winter had its hold upon the bay.
Am Em F C
We pulled the buoy out and secured it on her deck;
Dm Am G
The men then went below to warmth and some card-play.
F C G Am
Out of the night, the rending groan of rock on steel
F C G
Played its deadly hand against her frame,
F C G Am
Grounded on the shoal, at the mercy of the beating waves
F C G Am
Pounding out its endless refrain—its deadly refrain.
[Verse 3]
Am C G Am
Nobody knows the wheres and whys of happenstance,
F C G
The officer on deck was new and bright.
Am Em F C
Experience is the best teacher, so they say,
Dm Am G
I’m guessing there were lessons learned that night.
F C G Am
But after all, the commander is responsible,
F C G
For performance and safety of the crew;
F C G Am
And panic resolves to an action when adversity
F C G Am
Comes calling; it all comes down to you—always down to you.
[Verse 4]
Am C G Am
So many times I’ve asked myself how could it be
F C G
That all of us were saved except for her.
Am Em F C
Four weeks on end, pounded by relentless seas
Dm Am G
Abandoned to a winter undeferred.
F C G Am
She’s only a wreck rusting on the bottom now,
F C G
A haven for deep divers to find
F C G Am
A memorial to those universal qualities
F C G Am
Incompetence and the bottom line—the holy bottom line.
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