Lost souls

They floated on the sea, huddled in their boats
They were at the mercy of the tides and the billow,
Of the forces of nature and the creatures from below
A bunch of lost souls
   They had lost their chattels, they had lost their friends
   Most of them had lost their dependents
   They had lost everything, they had lost their homes
   A bunch of lost souls
      A small group of women, children and men
      Adrift on the sea, frightened and scared
      Closer to death than to life
      Lost souls but not willing to resign

They floated on the sea, day by day
In blazing heat, in rain or hail
Defenselessly exposed to the heat and to the cold
A bunch of lost souls
   They floated on the sea night by night
   Exposed to the waves, wild and high
   Exposed to the storms and to the bolts
   A bunch of lost souls
      A small group of women, children and men
      Adrift on the sea, frightened and scared
      Closer to death than to life
      Lost souls but clutching at life

Nearly died of thirst and they were nearly famished
When for days on end all fishes seemed to be vanished
Nothing to catch and the sun burned down on their boats
A bunch of lost souls
   In those cold nights when even the tears were freezing
   And the freezing cold spindrift took their breathing
   Soaking and nearly frostbitten they huddled in their boats
   A bunch of lost souls
      A small group of women, children and men
      Adrift on the sea, frightened and scared
      Closer to death than to life
      Lost souls but not willing to die

Endless days and nights were passing by
But at long last there was land in sight
And there was a little burgeoning hope
For the bunch of lost souls
   But they were not welcome in this foreign kingdom
   Hostility towards strangers was waiting for them
   And they were chased away, back onto their boats
   That bunch of lost souls
      A small group of women, children and men
      Adrift on the sea, frightened and scared
      Closer to death than to life
      Lost souls but not willing to resign

So, they floated further alongside the seaboard
Finally, they found a kingdom where they might settle down
But there was a high prize they had to pay
For the saving grace
   On a barren peninsula they had to settle down
   And each time when the moon eclipsed the sun
   They had to deliver a virgin to the crown
   Had to sacrifice an innocent soul
      A small group of women, children and men
      Tolerated flotsam, frightened and scared
      They had to decide between death or life
      Lost souls, clutching at life

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