When The Ship Comes In

Album: The Times They Are A-Changin' (1964)
Play Video
  • Oh, the time will come up
    When the winds will stop
    And the breeze will cease to be breathin'
    Like the stillness in the wind
    Before the hurricane begins
    The hour that the ship comes in

    And the seas will split
    And the ship will hit
    And the sands on the shoreline will be shaking
    Then the tide will sound
    And the wind will pound
    And the morning will be breaking

    Oh, the fishes will laugh
    As they swim out of the path
    And the seagulls they'll be smiling
    And the rocks on the sand
    Will proudly stand
    The hour that the ship comes in

    And the words that are used
    For to get the ship confused
    Will not be understood as they're spoken
    For the chains of the sea
    Will have busted in the night
    And will be buried at the bottom of the ocean

    A song will lift
    As the mainsail shifts
    And the boat drifts on to the shoreline
    And the sun will respect
    Every face on the deck
    The hour that the ship comes in

    Then the sands will roll
    Out a carpet of gold
    For your weary toes to be a-touchin'
    And the ship's wise men
    Will remind you once again
    That the whole wide world is watchin'

    Oh, the foes will rise
    With the sleep still in their eyes
    And they'll jerk from their beds and think they're dreamin'
    But they'll pinch themselves and squeal
    And know that it's for real
    The hour when the ship comes in

    Then they'll raise their hands
    Sayin' we'll meet all your demands
    But we'll shout from the bow your days are numbered
    And like Pharaoh's tribe
    They'll be drownded in the tide
    And like Goliath, they'll be conquered Writer/s: Bob Dylan
    Publisher: Universal Music Publishing Group
    Lyrics licensed and provided by LyricFind

Comments: 4

  • Danny from TennesseeThe hotel in question where Dylan was denied access was called the Yale Motor Inn. It was in my hometown of Wallingford Ct. it no longer exists. I know this because it is where all the acts who performed at the Oakdale Theatre would stay. My dad was at the show that evening when Dylan performed. He was introduced as guest of Joan Baez whom my dad had gone to see. He never heard of Dylan but was impressed & became a fan.
  • Ian Pratt from BournemouthI love song facts. Not just this site but learning the background of how,why and when it was written. Hearing it the first time, I liked the melody and the lyrical description, so to realise that it was written (as Joan Baez says) in a curmudgeonly huff! Is amazing! In her interview she said he scribbled it off and nearly left it behind in the hotel room. She picked it up and persuaded him to record it.
  • Jon from Yellow Springs, OhIn “The Double Life Of Bob Dylan ” Clinton Heylin writes that Dylan had been playing around with ideas for this song previous to being refused a room at a hotel over his appearance. Heylin thinks that Dylan had the song “Pirate Jenny” from Three Penny Opera, another revenge fantasy concerning a ship and an apocalyptical comeuppance, as a key source of inspiration for “When the Ship Comes In.”
  • Barry from New York, NcI was at the Dylan tribute show at Madison Square Garden in 1992. The Clancy Bros. with Tommy Makem did a stirring rendition of this song. "Dylan with an Irish accent."
see more comments

Editor's Picks

Donnie Iris (Ah! Leah!, The Rapper)

Donnie Iris (Ah! Leah!, The Rapper)Songwriter Interviews

Before "Rap" was a form of music, it was something guys did to pick up girls in nightclubs. Donnie talks about "The Rapper" and reveals the identity of Leah.

Leslie West of Mountain

Leslie West of MountainSongwriter Interviews

From the cowbell on "Mississippi Queen" to recording with The Who when they got the wrong Felix, stories from one of rock's master craftsmen.

Ed Roland of Collective Soul

Ed Roland of Collective SoulSongwriter Interviews

The stories behind "Shine," "December," "The World I Know" and other Collective Soul hits.

Richie Wise (Kiss producer, Dust)

Richie Wise (Kiss producer, Dust)Songwriter Interviews

Richie talks about producing the first two Kiss albums, recording "Brother Louie," and the newfound appreciation of his rock band, Dust.

Carol Kaye

Carol KayeSongwriter Interviews

A top session musician, Carol played on hundreds of hits by The Beach Boys, The Monkees, Frank Sinatra and many others.

John Lee Hooker

John Lee HookerSongwriter Interviews

Into the vaults for Bruce Pollock's 1984 conversation with the esteemed bluesman. Hooker talks about transforming a Tony Bennett classic and why you don't have to be sad and lonely to write the blues.