O Captain, Dark Captain
O Captain, Dark Captain (Poem)
O Captain, Dark Captain, step down from command
The vessel is poison’d by touch of your hand
Raise up the anchor and step to the plank
I’m taking this ship and stripping your rank
O Captain, Dark Captain, you think you know best
You’ve learned from a past with which you’re obsessed
Then imparted to me your advice of damnation
Masked in the form of self-preservation
O Captain, Dark Captain, you’ve dulled me with wine
That turned into hemlock before I had time
To turn ‘round the ship, and reset its course
Avoiding disaster, though you were its source
O Captain, Dark Captain, the calmest of seas
You’ve turned into storms with the greatest of ease
Now I have no home, I have no more treasure
Your smug little grin shows in this you take pleasure
O Captain, Dark Captain, it ends here, today
I’ll no longer watch this great ship decay
Now step to the edge and close tight your eyes
Meet with this bullet, and say your goodbyes.
- A. J. Darkholme (February 2014)
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O Captain, Dark Captain (Lyrics)
[Intro]
O Captain, Dark Captain…
O Captain, Dark Captain…
[Verse 1]
O Captain, Dark Captain, you’ve lost your grip,
The poison you’ve planted is sinking this ship.
You raised the anchor, but you're stuck in the past,
Now I’m taking control, and you’re out at last.
O Captain, Dark Captain, you think you know best,
But your lessons are curses, you’ve failed the test.
You taught me damnation, but I’m breaking free,
From the wreckage you made that you couldn’t see.
[Chorus]
O Captain, Dark Captain, step down from your throne,
This ship is my own, I’ll make it alone.
Your hands are the poison, your mind is the snare,
Now you’re the one leaving, I’m out of your care.
[Verse 2]
O Captain, Dark Captain, you dulled me with lies,
A glass of wine turned to hemlock in disguise.
I tried to steer clear, I tried to reset,
But you’re the storm I could never forget.
O Captain, Dark Captain, calm seas turned to hell,
You’re the wreckage I’m lost in, you’re the storm that fell.
I’ve no treasure, no home, just a sinking ship,
And you take pleasure in watching it slip.
[Chorus]
O Captain, Dark Captain, step down from your throne,
This ship is my own, I’ll make it alone.
Your hands are the poison, your mind is the snare,
Now you’re the one leaving, I’m out of your care.
[Bridge]
I’ve had enough of your lies, your deceit,
This ship’s been sinking, drowning in defeat.
You turned it to madness, to chaos, to war,
But now I’m taking back what was mine before.
[Breakdown]
O Captain, Dark Captain, the end is near,
I’m standing tall while you cower in fear.
Step to the edge, and close those eyes tight,
This is the moment – get out of my sight.
[Chorus]
O Captain, Dark Captain, step down from your throne,
This ship is my own, I’ll make it alone.
Your hands are the poison, your mind is the snare,
Now you’re the one leaving, I’m out of your care.
I’m out of your care.
I’m out of your care.
[Outro]
The ship sails without you…
Goodbye, dark soul…
Goodbye, dark soul…
Goodbye, dark soul…