Mary Ellen Carter - Stan Rogers
You, to whom adversity has dealt the final blow,
With smiling bastards lying to you everywhere you go,
Turn to, and put out all your strength of arm and heart and brain,
And like the Mary Ellen Carter, rise again!
Rise again, rise again!
Though your heart, it be broken, or life about to end.
No matter what you've lost, be it a home, a love, a friend,
Like the Mary Ellen Carter, rise again!
Today, I have had "Mary Ellen Carter" running through my mind all day at work, ever since I posted it here last night. I introduced it to a co-worker who had never heard it, and we talked about why it spoke to us as it did.
Here's the thing we noticed. The song does not conclude with the successful raising of the ship. It leaves the outcome still pending. That's because it's not about celebrating a victory. It's about sticking to persistent commitment when we're still in the middle of messy effort, when tomorrow is still unknown. This isn't a song we sing after it's over, it's a song to sing while the struggle is ongoing.
I'm still doing my solo protest vigils, holding up my sign on street corners. I was out there for an hour, after today's work and mass, on a cold windy day. As I mentioned a few weeks ago, I've found it's a big help to me if I sing as I stand there, to pass the time and keep my spirits up. So this was my song for today's vigil, and it served as a good rouser on a cold afternoon.
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Common Sparrow
Christine Malec