Howard Kaplan 1988
"A sea shantey for modern times, set on a Hovercraft when its era may be ending." Hovercraft service across the English Channel began in 1970 and due to the Oil Crisis operated at a loss as soon as the mid-70s. The Channel Tunnel opened in 1994 and the last hovercraft service ended in October 2000.
Finest Kind: https://ianrobb1.bandcamp.com/track/from-dover-to-calais
I thought I heard the old man cry (Blow hard and hover!)
“Rev up the fans; it’s time to fly” (From Dover to Calais.)
I thought I heard the first mate quip / “Is this an airplane or a ship?”
I thought I heard a Belgian say / “Your shopping bags are full today”
I thought I heard a Frenchman answer / “It’s all so cheap at Marks and Spencer”
I signed on board at seventeen / I had no sea legs; I was green
I worked these craft from stern to bow / It’s thirty years I’ve known them now
In sixty-eight no ships were newer / I thought my future was secure
Where will I go, what will I do / Now that they’ve pushed the tunnel through
I thought I heard an old ghost scream / “You’ll go the way of sail and steam”