"All hands on deck, we"ve run afloat" I heard the captain cry
"Explore the ship, replace the cook, let no one leave alive!"
Across the straits, around the Horn, how far can sailors fly?
A twisted path, our tortured course, and no one left alive

We sailed for parts unknown to man, where ships come home to die
No lofty peak, nor fortress bold, could match our captain's eye
Upon the seventh seasick day we made our port of call
A sand so white, and sea so blue, no mortal place at all

We fired the gun, and burnt the mast, and rowed from ship to shore
The captain cried, we sailors wept, our tears were tears of joy
Now many moons and many Junes have passed since we made land
A salty dog, this seaman's log, your witness my own hand


Lyrics submitted by planetearth, edited by vitaminf, JimbobAlbobjim

A Salty Dog Lyrics as written by Keith Reid Gary Brooker

Lyrics © Onward Music Limited

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A Salty Dog song meanings
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    General Comment

    Still working on this. Just heard it today.
    They're sailing the river Styx. Their captain is Charon. But they do find themselves in Heaven at the end. "The seventh sea-sick day" -- 7 being the number of the infinite. As with most Procol Harum songs that I've heard, Christian imagery and numerology play their part, here. They fired the gun to announce their arrival, and burned the mast because they intended never to return to their port of departure. "A salty dog, this seaman's log: your witness, my own hand" is the end of the letter. In his blindness and old age, Paul had Timothy write his last epistles. Paul came in at the end to say, "I write this in my own hand," to prove to the recipients that the letter was authentic, and that Paul was still alive. It should be written like this:

    Now many moons and many Junes have passed since we made land. A salty dog, this seaman's log.

    Your Witness

    (my own hand)

    He felt his name was unimportant, just that he had witnessed this all, and wrote it to us as a promise.

    ASaltyDogon November 20, 2010   Link

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