The Last Ship

It's all there in the gospels;

the (Am7)Magdalene (Bm7)girl comes to pay her respects,

but her (C)mind is awhirl when she (E5)finds the tomb (Bm7)empty.

The (Am7)stone had been rolled;

not a sign of a corpse

(Bm7)in the (C)dark and the cold.

When she (Am)reaches the door,

sees an unholy sight.

There's this (D)solitary figure

in a (B7)halo of light.

He just (Em)carries on, floating past (C)Calv'ry Hill.

in an (D)almighty hurry,

aye, but she (B7)might catch him still.

"Tell me, (Am7)where are you goin',

Lord, and (D)why in such haste?"

"Now don't (B7)hinder me, woman,

I've (Em)no time to waste.

For they're (Am7)launching a boat on the (D)morrow at noon,

and I (B7)have to be there before (Em)daybreak.

Oh, I (Am)cannot be missing;

the (A)lads'll expect me.

Why (D)else would the good Lord (B7)Himself resurrect me?

For (Em)nothing will stop me;

I (C)have to prevail

through the (D)teeth of this tempest in the (B7)mouth of a gale.

May the angels protect me if (Am7)all else should (D)fail and the last (B7sus)ship (E5)sails."

(Em)Oh, the (Am)roar of the chains and the (Am7)cracking of (D)timbers,

the (Am7)noise at the (Bm7)end of the world in your ears as a (Am)mountain of steel makes its (Am7)way to the sea and the (Am)last (Bm7)ship (E5)sails.

(Cm7)It's a (F5)strange kind of (Cm7)beauty,

it's (Bbm7)cold and (Cm7)austere, and (Bbm7)whatever it (Cm7)was that you've (Db)done to be here,

it's the (F5)sum of your hopes,

your (Bbm7)despairs and your (Cm7)fears,

when the (Dbmaj7)last (Cm7)ship (F5)(Fm)sails.

Well, the (Bbm)first to arrive saw these (Bb)signs in the east like that (Cb)strange,

moving finger at (Bm)Balthazar's (C#m7)feast,

where he (F#5)asked the (C#m7)advice of some (Bm7)wandering (C#m7)priest and the (Bm7)sad ghosts of (C#m7)men whom they'd (D)thought long deceased.

And (F#5)whatever got said, they'd be (Bm7)counted,

at least, when the (Bm)last (C#m7)ship (F#5)sails.

(F#m)Oh, the (Dmaj7)roar of the chains and the (Bm7)cracking of (E)timbers,

the (Bm7)noise at the (C#m7)end of the world in your ears as a (Dmaj7)mountain of steel makes its (Bm7)way to the sea and the (Dmaj7)last (C#7sus)ship (F#5)sails.