Ballad of the Drowned Bell

The Kraken's Lullaby

The fog rolls in on Solomon's shore,

A whisper from the deep, for evermore.

Old Man Tiber swore he heard its chime,

A sunken bell, lost to ancient time.

"It calls the catch," the fishermen would say,

"A bounty from the bay, come what may."

But others knew a colder, darker truth,

A siren's song, stealing youth.

No fish was there, no silver gleam,

Just shadows dancing in a waking dream.

The bell's deep toll, a crushing sound,

As boats were dragged to oozy ground.

So listen close when the fog is deep and grey,

And the ocean calls your name to come and play.

If you hear the Drowned Bell, turn your bow and flee,

Lest you join the chorus beneath the hungry sea.

[Collected from local folklore, Kingsmouth, Solomon Island.]

The Ballad of Fogwood

(A Folk Song or Ballad)

The ocean breathes a sigh so deep, While Kingsmouth Harbor lies asleep. But don't you walk the docks alone, Or listen for the breaker's moan.

The fog comes crawlin' from the sea, It ain't just mist and mystery. It's got a hunger, got a hold, It takes the young and leaves the old.

It took ol' Jed, it took his boat, Left nothin' but his worn-out coat. They say you hear him on the breeze, A-whisperin' through the wicked trees.

The fog, it smells of salt and death, It steals the warmth and steals your breath. So lock your doors and say a prayer, When Fogwood's breath is on the air.

The Ballad of the Fogwood

(To be sung to a simple, mournful tune, like a sea shanty)

(Verse 1) Old Man Hemlock went a-walkin' Where the pine trees meet the bay, Said he'd find a fallen giant, And be back by break of day. He kissed his wife, he grabbed his axe, And walked into the wood, But the fog rolled in like ocean foam, And took him where he stood.

(Chorus) Oh, the fog comes down on Solomon, It's green and thick and slow, Don't you listen to the whispers, son, Don't you follow where they go. For the wood ain't wood and the sea ain't sea, When the fog comes down to stay, And the men who walk the fogwood deep, Don't see another day.

(Verse 2) The search party went out lookin', Called his name out to the mist, Found his axe beside a clearing, But of Hemlock, nothing twist. Just a piece of blackened timber, Carved with barnacles and salt, From a ship that sank a hundred years, Brought the searching to a halt.

(Chorus) Oh, the fog comes down on Solomon, It's green and thick and slow, Don't you listen to the whispers, son, Don't you follow where they go. For the wood ain't wood and the sea ain't sea, When the fog comes down to stay, And the men who walk the fogwood deep, Don't see another day.

(Verse 3) Now they say on misty evenings, When the air is damp and still, You can hear a lonely chopping, Coming from up on the hill. It's Old Man Hemlock, still at work, With his axe and ghostly might, Chopping wood for phantom ships, That sail on through the night.

(Chorus) Oh, the fog comes down on Solomon, It's green and thick and slow, Don't you listen to the whispers, son, Don't you follow where they go. For the wood ain't wood and the sea ain't sea, When the fog comes down to stay, And the men who walk the fogwood deep, Don't see another day.