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The Ballad of Richard Parker

from Day And Night by Edmund Snyder

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about

There have been several men named Richard Parker (both fictional and factual) who have met untimely maritime ends. This song is about a cabin boy whose vessel sank in 1884 while delivering it from England to Australia.

lyrics

If your name is Richard Parker, you’d be smart not to join a navy,
Because your vessel will likely sink when the ocean gets to wavy.
If you make it to a life raft, you may soon run out of food,
And when your shipmates get too hungry they will set their sights on you.

[CHORUS]
If your name is Richard Parker, stay away from the mast.
Any voyage out to sea might just turn out to be your last.

The most famous of the Richard Parkers, a cabin boy of seventeen,
Could not have guessed his fate when Captain Dudley hired a sailing team.
A gale made their journey rough as the crew prepared to sleep,
Then a strong and terrible wave sent their ship adeep.

[REPEAT CHORUS]

Four men made it to a lifeboat with just a couple cans of food,
Plus the lack of drinking water made it clear that they were screwed.

Young Parker drank seawater which made him very ill.
The Captain realized the rest could eat if the cabin boy were killed.
Hunger, bad weather, and sickness made Richard much too weak to fight.
Captain Dudley slit his throat; the survivors ate quite well that night.

[REPEAT CHORUS]

credits

from Day And Night, released November 12, 2014

license

all rights reserved

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about

Edmund Snyder Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

Edmund is an avant garde singer, songwriter, and guitarist who creates an eclectic mix of tunes. He has set a challenge to perfect his art by writing a new song each week during 2014. Edmund is a Navy veteran who has traveled extensively both in and out of the military. He draws on his experiences in small town and big city America as well as his adventures to craft his words. ... more

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