C C Am F Now it's just my luck to have the watch, with nothing left to do E E Dm G But watch the deadly waters glide, as we roll north to the Soo C C Am F And wonder when they'll turn again, and pitch us to the rail Em G C C And whirl off one more youngster in the gale C C Am F The kid was so damned eager, it was all so big and new E E Dm G You never had to tell him twice, or find him work to do C C Am F And evenings on the mess deck, he was always first to sing Em G C C And show us pictures of the girl he'd wed in spring CHORUS ONE (after verses 1, 3,): G G/B F E But I told that kid a hundred times, don't take the lakes for granted Am E Dm G They'll go from calm to a hundred knots, so fast they seem en-chanted C C Am F But to-night some red-eyed Wiarton girl, lies staring at the wall E G C C And her lover's gone in-to a white squall C C Am F Now it's a thing that us old-timers know, in a sultry summer calm E E Dm G There comes a blow from nowhere, and it goes off like a bomb C C Am F And a sixteen thousand tonner can be thrown upon her beam Em G C C While the gale takes all before it with a scream C C Am F The kid was on the hatches, lying staring at the sky E E Dm G From where I stood, I swear I could, see tears fall from his eye C C Am F So I hadn't the heart to tell him , that he should be on a line Em G C C Even on a night so warm and fine WHITE SQUALL PAGE TWO C C Am F When it struck, he sat up with a start, I roared to him: Get down E E Dm G But for all that he could hear, I might as well not made a sound C C Am F So I clung there to the stanchions and I felt my face grow pale Em G C C As he crawled hand-over-hand along the rail C C Am F Now I could feel her heeling over with the fury of the blow E E Dm F And I watched the rail go under then, so terrible and slow C C Am F Then like some great dog she shook herself and roared upright a-gain Em G C C While overside I heard him call my name C C Am F So it's just my luck to have the watch, with nothing left to do E E Dm G But watch the deadly waters glide, as we roll north to the Soo C C Am F And wonder when they'll turn again, and pitch us to the rail Em G C C And whirl off one more youngster in the gale CHORUS TWO: G G/B F E And I tell these kids a hundred times, don't take the lakes for granted Am E Dm G They'll go from calm to a hundred knots, so fast they seem en-chanted C C Am F But to-night some red-eyed Wiarton girl, lies staring at the wall E G C C And her lover's gone into a white squall