Do Something (Even if it's Wrong)

Words and Music © Capt. Dave Kennedy

 

Dave was a phenomenon, a force of nature.  Having "come up through the hawsepipe" on a hundred ships, he had an unlimited license and world pilotage when I met him.  A great lover of many kinds of music, he used to write sentimental country songs.  This was straight out of his experience running a small, independent company of ship-pilots in New York Harbor.  I made a few ship-movements with him, both in Long Island Sound and the Port of St. Croix, and can attest that he was an astonishingly canny ship-handler – though not immune to the odd mistake.  The "Sam" in this song was Sam Sorenson, one of his partners.  I will always thank Steve Sellors for keeping this song alive until we learned it. 

 

Gordon – 12 string-guitar

 

I've got a partner by the name of Sam

That squarehead pilot's quite a man

Here's what he says when he gets in a jam

"Do something even if it's wrong"

 

            Do something even it it's wrong

            This'll make sense before too long

            What am I gonna do with this crazy song

            Do something even if it's wrong

 

The first thing Sam tries, it never work

The second thing only makes it worse

But the third, the fourth, the fifth, the sixth – something works

Do something even if it's wrong

 

The next time that you're up a tree

You just don't know what your future might be

Take a tip from Same and me

And do something, even if it's wrong

 

 

Do Something is recorded on the album In Concert