The Naked Troubadour

“Let’s Rock the Boat” [new song video]

Posted on Jun 19, 2020 Updated on Jun 19, 2020

LIVING-ROOM VIDEO #52: “Let’s Rock the Boat”. A new song completed today. It needs a band, some orchestra and a big choir in the refrains (wait till the next album!) but, in the meantime, here’s the unplugged version for voice & acoustic guitar. I hope it resonates. The lyrics are below:

So many keep their heads down, avoiding any strain;
always keep their noses clean and don’t get naked in the rain.
They surround themselves with cushions, and do just what they’re told;
proud to be so safe — their self-inflicted stranglehold.

Folks tell me that they always love to rock away the night.
Yet for that kind of stuff I never had an appetite!
Partying and crazing out until the break of day —
Not me! For I’ll be rocking in a very different way!

[1^st Refrain]
I rock the boat
I rock the boat
The only kind of rock that keeps this crazy life afloat
I rock the boat
I rock the boat
It’s the only kind of rock I love to play

You know, even non-conformists can be conformists too
when they blindly follow others who only like them do.
In the stand for Truth you’ll find that you may have to walk alone.
I know that territory so well — it’s Truth’s own Twilight Zone.

So don’t be disconcerted when you think you’re with a crowd
of folks who claim to rock the boat (or so they have avowed!),
then suddenly you look behind and see they’re no more there.
To go beyond their comfort zone they simply would not dare…

[2^nd Refrain]
to rock the boat
to rock the boat
I want this song to be more than a boring anecdote
I rock the boat
I rock the boat
It’s the only kind of rock I love to play

[Vocal bridge]
(Please will you now come join me
and rock the boat with me.
The more that there are rocking
will in time stir up the sea)

Resisting all conformity won’t heal this fallen world;
it only starts a movement which will see some truth unfurled.
But it plants a seed of freedom and it liberates your soul
to explore your deeper regions and reject outside control.

For counterculture people are the ones who keep us sane;
but not if they’re just serving up a load more of the same.
One can take a horse to water, but one cannot make it drink;
but at least when it’s been taken there, it has the chance to think…

[3^rd Refrain]
and rock the boat
and rock the boat
as a light in midst of darkness we can through our lives devote
I rock the boat
I rock the boat
It’s the only kind of rock I love to play

Maybe you’ll say you’re nauseous and you have no legs for sea.
With that adjudication, I would have to disagree.
For once you’re on that vessel, without a thought for you,
when singing with the band, you’ll have a very different view.

For deep inside the heart of every soul who loves these words
is a fire fit to melt all stone and every icy berg.
The world dictates your status quo: “Conform to every norm!”,
but here’s a loud inspiring song which we can all perform…

[4^th Refrain]
Let’s rock the boat
Let’s rock the boat
Against human corruption, it’s a needed antidote
Let’s rock the boat
Let’s rock that boat
Just rock your world and sow some seeds today…

© Alan Morrison, 2020