© 1978 Brian Flynn
"The CAN DO was a pilot boat out of Gloucester, MA. The GLOBAL HOPE went aground just off Salem, MA, and pictures at the time showed her almost on the beach. The radio did go dead (at least so reported in the press) which is why they were unable to get a fix on their location. The CAN DO in effect went out blind with only the most general idea of where to look. Contact was then lost with CAN DO and the men were washed (ashore) a days later, again around Salem. The GLOBAL HOPE was sold for scrap." ~ Brian Flynn
In a dozen coastal towns, when the sun is going down
The boats are tied and the fishing is all through
For another shot-and-beer you'll likely get to hear
Of the pilot boat they call the CAN DO
Chorus:
Then lift your glass to the seasons as they pass
To the men who sail the seas alone
Say a prayer for the women waiting there
For the men who never will come home
A blizzard from the North blew the tanker off her course
And the GLOBAL HOPE was grounded on the sand
There were forty men they said, then the radio went dead
And no one knew they were just a mile from land
Well the CAN DO heard the call, and their boat was very small
They wondered how a tanker could get lost
And like a single silent voice, they knew they had no choice
But to find the GLOBAL HOPE at any cost
Well the snow made them blind
and the seas could read their mind
And the wind laughed at every turn they made
'Til a big one hit the side and flipped her like a dime
And it drove her like a nail into the wave
There's a little boy who plays by the harbor every day
And his mother cannot hide her tears for long
For she knows salt water runs in the blood of sailors' sons
And she knows there's no ending to this song
For they're cruising where it's warm and they'll never see the storm
And they never, never will come home
The CAN DO is recorded on the album Language of the Heart