Words and music ©1999 Bob Zentz
Gordon – Spanish guitar
This is from Bob’s days in the Coast Guard. The vessel he was on had experimental speakers in the water – I suppose because you never know whom you’re going to be talking to out there.
Ocean Station Bravo - North Atlantic Ocean
Somewhere south of Greenland - somewhere far from home
Nothing on the radar - nothing on the sonar
Hove to and drifting on this ocean all alone
She was the CGC Sebago – Ocean Station Vessel
High Endurance Cutter, Number 42
Studying the weather - aids to navigation
Plotting ships and aircraft as they come sailing through
Just a speck upon the ocean – center of a circle
Nothing but horizon – wind and sea and sky
This whole world in motion – blowing from the Northeast
Not a hint of sunshine, just the grey clouds running by
Lookout calls the bridge-watch: "Objects in the water
Moving Surface Contact – off the starboard bow"
Plot 'em on the radar, fire up the sonar
Listen for the echoes – Ah, can you hear them now?
There's echoes in the headphones – whale-sound from the speakers
Filling all the spaces inside C.I.C*. (*Combat Information Center)
Songs of love and travel – songs of generations
Echoes of the ages in cetacean harmony
And me – I had to answer – I sang, I talked, I whistled
Even played the mouth harp through the microphone
They returned the favor with chirps and clicks and whistles
Songs of celebration not so different from our own
And when the watch was over – out onto the bridge wing
You can see those sounding singers as they breach and sport and play
Just a pod of humpbacks – farewell flukes a-waving
A memory worth saving as we traveled on our way
For we'd had a conversation with Leviathan that day
Ocean Station Bravo - North Atlantic Ocean
Somewhere south of Greenland - somewhere far from home
Nothing on the radar - nothing on the sonar
Hove to and drifting…