Jane Siberry Burning Ship Lyrics

Burning Ship Lyrics

Sixty thousand sheep on a burning ship 
Sailing across the deep blue sea 
And not a soul in sight 
And the boiler room caught fire 
And the men, the hired men 
They set off signals 
And nearby boats came by 
And they rescued them 
And off they went on their way 
To South America from Australia 
Sixty thousand sheep 
On the great, great blue sea 
And not a soul in sight 
For what purpose? For what purpose? 
 
What great things happening on this planet 
Huge clusters of animals going up in smoke 
Two million cows in Great Britain 
Gone in one month 
Two million cows 
Who can separate the cows from the people? 
 
Two hundred elephants found in a clearing 
Ghastly silence when they found them 
Pregnant cows, baby elephants 
And not a soul in sight 
In one fell swoop 
 
And then the swoop of swallows 
As they gather in the fall 
Getting ready to prepare to start to begin 
To set upon their long, long flight 
At what moment, Lord 
At what precise moment 
Do they decide?