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The Mid Watch
by Paul J. Richie
8-13-1954
Along about a quarter to twelve
When the evening watch eyes begin to swell
Down comes the messenger with flashlight in
hand
To wake the reliefs for their midnight stand
With drowsy feeling they begin to rise
And don their clothes with blurry eyes
Then up on deck they start to prance
With a foul word for their midnight stance
The first few minutes fly like a dream
Because they're still sleeping it really seems
But long before the first hours up
They begin to feel like a worn out pup
A few course changes here and there
And the helmsman ready to pull out his hair
The boatswain out in the evening air
And the voice recorders crapped out in the captains chair
The quartermaster's leaning on the
navigator's desk
He's got the charts just looking a mess
With the lee helmsman slumping over the
anunsiators
Keeping time with his foot to the O.D., S cater
With head in hands the lookouts doze
The O.D. knows their eyes are closed
But what's the use to run them in the dirt
To chew them out is too much like work
So back to the conn he'll head with a scowl
To take bearing on a ship that's just off the bow
And for the first few minutes he'll watch
like a cat
Then track that thing he'll yell down to combat
Then down to the wardroom he'll call for
mud
And up comes the steward with joe for the dud
He'll notice it's white, just heavy with
cream
Then chew out the steward in a very low scream
But it's peaceful again at a quarter to
four
When the reliefs are here and the mids done once more.
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