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

Bill Medley of The Righteous Brothers

Bill Medley of The Righteous BrothersSongwriter Interviews

Medley looks back on "Unchained Melody" and "You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'" - his huge hits from the '60s that were later revived in movies.

Mark Arm of Mudhoney

Mark Arm of MudhoneySongwriter Interviews

When he was asked to write a song for the Singles soundtrack, Mark thought the Seattle grunge scene was already overblown, so that's what he wrote about.

Christopher Cross

Christopher CrossSongwriter Interviews

The man who created Yacht Rock with "Sailing" wrote one of his biggest hits while on acid.

Howard Jones

Howard JonesSongwriter Interviews

Howard explains his positive songwriting method and how uplifting songs can carry a deeper message.

Def Leppard Quiz

Def Leppard QuizMusic Quiz

Can you name Def Leppard's only #1 hit in America? Get rocked with this adrenalized quiz.

Trucking Songs That Were #1 Hits

Trucking Songs That Were #1 HitsSong Writing

The stories behind the biggest hit songs about trucking.