The Storm [DE LA MARE poem set to music]
Channel: tobydarling
Date: 2023-12-26

The Storm (Walter de la Mare)

Am G Am D
First there were two of us, then there were three of us,
Am G Am
Then there was one bird more,
Am C D Am
Four of us – wild white sea birds,
Am Em B7
Treading the ocean floor;
Em Am
And the Wind rose, and the Sea rose,
B7 C G
To the angry billows‘s roar – 
Dm C Em Am
With one of us – two of us – three of us – four of us
Am Em Am
Sea-birds on the shore.

Soon there were five of us, soon there were nine of us,
And lo! In a trice sixteen!
And the yeasty surf curdled over the sands,
The gaunt grey rocks between;
And the tempest raved, and the lightning’s fire
Struck blue on the spindrift hoar –
And on four of us – ay, and on four times four of us
Sea-birds on the shore.

And our sixteen waxed to thirty-two,
And they to past three score –
A wild, white welter of winnowing wings,
And ever more and more;
And the winds lulled, and the sea went down,
And the sun streamed out on high,
Gilding the pools and the spume and the spars
‘Neath the vast blue deeps of the sky;

Bm Em D
And the isles and the bright gree headlands shone,
F Am
As they’sd never shone before,
Bm C G Am
Mountai8ns and valleys of silver cloud,
B7
Wherein to swing, sweep, soar-
Em Am
A host of screeching, scolding, scrabbling
B7 C G
Sea-birds on the shore – 
Dm C Em Am
A snowy, silent, sun-washed drift
Am Em Am
Of sea-birds on the shore


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