Bishop Allen – The Monitor.
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Once a great ironworks
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Stood at the end of my street
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And they hauled in The Monitor
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Fit her with armor
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For to save the union fleet
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The River James was on fire
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As The Merrimack thundered and raged
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And she seemed so colossal and so unstoppable
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Until the two engaged
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And inside the sound
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A deafening din, round after round, again and again
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Shattering down, shattering down, shattering down
The neighborhood’s quiet at night
But sometimes my ears still ring
And you think I’d understand
That a rock-n-roll band
Doesn’t mean a blessed thing
But I picture the poor crew stunned
When the cannons did finally subside
How they stand on the deck
With the sun at their neck
And they wonder if they’re still alive
And I try to shout
But none of them hear
They’re moving their mouths
But the blood in their ears
Is running down, running down, running down
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And we’re singing la da da da da da
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And we’re singing la da da da da da
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And we’re singing la da da da da da
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But what then?
It’s stunning to know I’ve survived
But I’m not sure what I’m fighting for anymore
And when I break another string
And continue to sing
Is that courage? I’m not sure.
When the ironclads drifted apart
Still blue and still gray
The men shoveled in the coal
And worked the pumps in the hull
Just like every other day
And none of them knew
Oh, none of them cared
How much it just changed right then and right there
They just carried on, carried on, carried on
And we’re singing la da da da da da
And we’re singing la da da da da da
And we’re singing la da da da da da
But what then?
And we’re singing la da da da da da
And we’re singing la da da da da da
And we’re singing la da da da da da
But what then?