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The Ghost Named Virtue

from The Time Comes on Humming Tracks by Kate Isenberg

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lyrics

When I was a young man I went for a sailor,
On a ship bound for untold lands.
At night the crew would drink below deck,
Boasting of love lines crossing their hands.
I’d cross my chest.
One day the ship sailed past a strange island
In the midst of a becalmed sea.
Out on the reef I saw a strange woman:
She seemed to sing just to me,
Among the crew the only man whose name was Virtue.
She said: Why do you fear the water
When that is most what you are made of?
Why do you fear the breakers,
When you are broken now?
I said: Tie me to the mast, the ocean’s voice will be the death of me.
Tie me to the mast; I’m going underneath the waves.
Tie me to the mast. I’ll be the death of me.
Next day we docked in a new city
Where the wine tasted of tallow and brine.
Out in the street I passed a young woman
With feet rough as reef and eyes green as sea. I took her sleeve.
She said: Where to, sailor? Haven’t I seen you before?
That’s as it may be, but sailor’s always wanting more.
I said: Tie me to the post, tie me to the bed,
Tie me to the post, tie me to the bed. She ran up ahead.
I followed her down to the edge of the town,
I followed her into the waves.
On the seabed was a sunken ship.
She tied me to the mast, and there I was lost.
I do not fear the water, now; that is all that I am made of.
I do not fear the breakers; I am broken now.
She tied me to the mast. I died upon the mast.
She tied me to the mast, the ocean’s voice,
Among the crew the only ghost whose name is Virtue.

credits

from The Time Comes on Humming Tracks, released January 31, 2007
Acoustic guitar, main and harmony vocals, mandolin, violin: Kate Isenberg
Double bass: Eric Marshall

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Kate Isenberg Los Angeles, California

Los Angeles-based Kate Isenberg’s lyrics recall Joni Mitchell; her alternate-tuning guitar riffs, the dexterity and accessibility of John Mayer. On stage, Isenberg captivates audiences with an emotionally direct presence akin to Sufjan Stevens or Laura Veirs.
Her albums have received critical recognition and nationwide radio play. She has toured top songwriter venues around the U.S. ... more

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