Shadow Captain

Album: CSN (1977)
Play Video
  • Oh, captain, what are we hiding from?
    You've been hiding from the start.
    Did some lover steal your heart,
    Or did the full moon make you mad?

    Oh, captain, why these speechless seas
    That never seem to land?
    Oh I need to understand.
    Could a little light be that bad?

    I can see your hands are roughened
    By the wheel and the rope.
    I'd like to look to you for hope,
    I think it's hiding there.
    This boat is blacked out like a city
    Awaiting bombers in the night.
    Oh you hold your helm so tight,
    And yet the sky seems so fair.

    Who guides this ship
    Dreaming through the seas
    Turning and searching,
    Whichever way you please?
    Speak to me, I need to see your face,
    Shadowy captain, in a darkened space.

    If I were to spy a city
    Floating just above the sea,
    Could we stop
    And look for me
    Among those playing on the pier?

    Or would you turn away knowing,
    It was still a ways away,
    And if I was there today
    you could not see me all that clear.

    Shadowy captain of a charcoal ship,
    Trying to give the light the slip Writer/s: CRAIG DOERGE, DAVID CROSBY
    Publisher: Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, BMG RIGHTS MANAGEMENT US, LLC
    Lyrics licensed and provided by LyricFind

Comments: 1

  • Rick Dau from Omaha, NebraskaI remember Crosby talking about this song when CSN was interviewed on Rockline in 1983. He said it a was spontaneous burst of creativity: "All the words just came out in one big splurge."
see more comments

Editor's Picks

The Girl in That Song

The Girl in That SongFact or Fiction

Billie Jean, Delilah, Sara, Laura and Sharona - do you know who the girls in the songs really are?

David Clayton-Thomas of Blood, Sweat & Tears

David Clayton-Thomas of Blood, Sweat & TearsSongwriter Interviews

The longtime BS&T frontman tells the "Spinning Wheel" story, including the line he got from Joni Mitchell.

Christmas Songs

Christmas SongsFact or Fiction

Rudolf, Bob Dylan and the Singing Dogs all show up in this Fact or Fiction for seasonal favorites.

Jon Anderson of Yes

Jon Anderson of YesSongwriter Interviews

From the lake in "Roundabout" to Sister Bluebird in "Starship Trooper," Jon Anderson talks about how nature and spirituality play into his lyrics for Yes.

Rock Stars of Horror

Rock Stars of HorrorMusic Quiz

Rock Stars - especially those in the metal realm - are often enlisted for horror movies. See if you know can match the rocker to the role.

Gary Numan

Gary NumanSongwriter Interviews

An Electronic music pioneer with Asperger's Syndrome. This could be interesting.