Balstrode (looks seaward through his glass)
Look! The storm cone!
The wind veers
In from the sea
At gale force.
Chorus
Look out for squalls!
The wind veers
In from the sea
At gale force.
Make your boat fast!
Shutter your windows!
And bring in all the nets!
All
Now the flood tide
And the sea-horses
Will gallop over
The eroded coast
Flooding, flooding
Our seasonal fears.
Look! The storm cone
The wind veers.
A high tide coming
Will eat the land
A tide no breakwaters can withstand.
Fasten your boats. The springtide's here
With a gale behind.
Chorus
Is there much to fear?
Ned
Only for the goods you're rich in:
It won't drown your conscience, it might flood your kitchen.
Boles (passionately)
God has his ways which are not ours:
His high tide swallows up the shores.
Repent!
Ned
And keep your wife upstairs.
Omnes
O Tide that waits for no man
Spare our coasts!
Look! The storm cone!
The wind veers
In from the sea
At gale force.
Chorus
Look out for squalls!
The wind veers
In from the sea
At gale force.
Make your boat fast!
Shutter your windows!
And bring in all the nets!
All
Now the flood tide
And the sea-horses
Will gallop over
The eroded coast
Flooding, flooding
Our seasonal fears.
Look! The storm cone
The wind veers.
A high tide coming
Will eat the land
A tide no breakwaters can withstand.
Fasten your boats. The springtide's here
With a gale behind.
Chorus
Is there much to fear?
Ned
Only for the goods you're rich in:
It won't drown your conscience, it might flood your kitchen.
Boles (passionately)
God has his ways which are not ours:
His high tide swallows up the shores.
Repent!
Ned
And keep your wife upstairs.
Omnes
O Tide that waits for no man
Spare our coasts!