White Squall

From: Barrie McCombs 

WHITE SQUALL   Time: 4/4   Tenor: C   Bass: A
- Stan Rogers, 1982, on: From Fresh Water

         1               *                    6m              4
Now it’s just my luck to have the watch, with nothing left to do
    3                *                   2m                5
But watch the deadly waters glide, as we roll north to the Soo
    1                   *               6m              4
And wonder when they’ll turn again, and pitch us to the rail
    3m                 5                1        *
And whirl off one more youngster in the gale


    1                 *             6m             4
The kid was so damned eager, it was all so big and new
    3            *                  2m               5
You never had to tell him twice, or find him work to do
    1               *                 6m              4
And evenings on the mess deck, he was always first to sing
    3m                      5                1        *
And show us pictures of the girl he’d wed in spring


CHORUS ONE (after verses 1, 3,):
      5               57                   4                  3
But I told that kid a hundred times, don’t take the lakes for granted
        6m                3                 2m                5
They’ll go from calm to a hundred knots, so fast they seem en-chanted
       1                   *                  6m             4
But to-night some red-eyed Wiarton girl, lies staring at the wall
        3               5          1         *
And her lover’s gone in-to a white squall

Now it’s a thing that us old-timers know, in a sultry summer calm
There comes a blow from nowhere, and it goes off like a bomb
And a sixteen  thousand tonner can be thrown upon her beam
While the gale takes all before it with a scream


The kid was on the hatches, lying staring at the sky
>From where I stood, I swear I could, see tears fall from his eye
So I hadn’t the heart to tell him, that he should be on a line
Even on a night so warm and fine


CONTINUED ON PAGE TWO


NOTES:
- Write for the sheet music


WHITE SQUALL     PAGE TWO


        1                 *               6m                 4
When it struck, he sat up with a start, I roared to him: Get down
        3                 *                2m              5
But for all that he could hear, I might as well not made a sound
     1                  *                6m                4
So I clung there to the stanchions and I felt my face grow pale
      3m                5              1     *
As he crawled hand-over-hand along the rail


            1                *             6m          4
Now I could feel her heeling over with the fury of the blow
      3                   *              2m           5
And I watched the rail go under then, so terrible and slow
          1                  *                 6m               4
Then like some great dog she shook herself and roared upright a-gain
      3m         5                 1      *
While overside I heard him call my name


        1               *                    6m              4
So it’s just my luck to have the watch, with nothing left to do
    3                *                   2m                5
But watch the deadly waters glide, as we roll north to the Soo
    1                   *               6m              4
And wonder when they’ll turn again, and pitch us to the rail
    3m                 5                1        *
And whirl off one more youngster in the gale


CHORUS TWO:
      5                 57                   4                  3
And I tell these kids a hundred times, don’t take the lakes for granted
        6m                3                 2m                5
They’ll go from calm to a hundred knots, so fast they seem en-chanted
       1                   *                  6m             4
But to-night some red-eyed Wiarton girl, lies staring at the wall
        3              5          1         *
And her lover’s gone into a white squall

SYMBOLS:
- Asterisk (*) =  new measure, play same chord
- Period (.)   =  1/8 note rest at start of a measure
- Underline(_) =  sustain note into next measure

CHORDS (Number System):
- Example:     1    2    3    4    5    6    7
- Key of C:    C    D    E    F    G    A    B
- Detailed description: /pub/guitar/other_stuff/numbering_system.txt

- Submitted by:  Barrie McCombs (bmccombs@acs.ucalgary.ca)