captain kennedy

Neil Young

I am a young mariner headed to war
I'm thinkin' 'bout my family
and what it was for
There's water on the wood
and the sails feel good
And when I get to shore
I hope that I can kill good.

My father was a sailor
named Captain Kennedy
He lost his wooden schooner
to the Germans on the sea
Exploded on the water
for everyone to see
And humiliate that American
Captain Kennedy.

I saw him in Nassau in 1971
His strength was failin'
but he still ran a run
He worked 'til his fingers
wore to the bone
To buy that wooden schooner
and sail on his own.

He was known in the islands
as hundred foot iron
That steel hull freighter
was passin' its time
And time flew by faster
with life on the sea
And the days grew shorter
for Captain Kennedy.

I am a young mariner headed to war
I'm thinkin' 'bout my family
and what it was for
There's water on the wood
and the sails feel good
And when I get to shore
I hope that I can kill good.