Hold the Course — Juniper

Intro

Soft rain on the harbor stones,
Ropes strain against the tide,
A weathered hull leaves lanterns low,
With hungry hearts inside.

Verse 1

We left the quay with empty holds,
And ledgers tied in twine,
For spice and wool and copper ore,
And a better fate than mine.
The captain read the morning wind,
Then pointed past the bay,
“Keep faith with north and honest work;
The sea will name the way.”

Chorus

Hold the course, hold the line,
Let no borrowed promise turn the sign.
Gold can glitter beyond the foam,
But the truest road still leads us home.
Hold the course, hold the line,
Many voices can unmake one mind.

Verse 2

By dusk, three hands we’d hired ashore
Leaned laughing on the rail,
They heard a tune beneath the waves,
A silver-sweetened tale.
“Come closer, boys, the water keeps
A kingdom under blue;
There’s pearl enough for every palm,
And crowns enough for you.”

Pre-Chorus

The captain struck the compass glass,
“Those notes are not our guide.
Tie down the wheel and face the west;
Do not answer from the side.”

Chorus

Hold the course, hold the line,
Let no borrowed promise turn the sign.
Gold can glitter beyond the foam,
But the truest road still leads us home.
Hold the course, hold the line,
Many voices can unmake one mind.

Bridge

But wonder loosened every knot,
And doubt took watch below.
A hand unseen pulled hard at port,
The bow began to go.
Rain became a curtain wall,
The sea rose black and steep—
One crew divided by a song
Can wake the storm from sleep.

Thunder breaks the masthead flame,
Thunder rolls across the deck,
The captain shouts, “Together now!”
But every rope is wrecked.
The wheel runs wild, the lanterns drown,
The cargo splits the floor,
A final wave lifts keel to sky—
Then slams us through the roar.

Outro

When morning finds the broken planks
Along the bitter shore,
Remember this: the path was clear
Before we asked for more.
No siren owns the steadfast heart,
No treasure earns the cost;
A ship may weather any sea,
But not a crew that’s lost.