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Twas the night before ORSE
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And all thru the sub,
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Not a watchstander worried
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Not even a nub.
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The officers in the wardroom
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Were banging their heads.
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Thinking of failing filled them
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With dread.
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The C.O. in his stateroom
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And the ENG in a trance,
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Had given up, thinking there
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Wasn't a chance.
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When fwd of maneuvering
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There arose such a clatter,
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The ENG came back running
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To investigate the matter.
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Away to the engineroom
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He flew like a breeze,
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Stopped by manuevering
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And started to wheeze.
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The lights from maneuvering
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Were glistening off pipes.
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Which gave the boat a luster
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Like a new prototype.
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When out of his bloodshot eyes
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He did catch,
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A movement of the aft
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Escape trunk hatch.
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As he clutched at his heart
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And was turning around,
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Down the ladder
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Admiral Rickover came with a bound.
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He was dressed in a wetsuit
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From his head to his shoe,
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And the clipboard he held
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Looked just like brand new.
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Now scram it, now flood it,
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Some high airborne too!
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Let's run some drills now
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I'm ready; Are you?
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His tight little mouth
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Was drawn like a line.
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His wrinkles were creased
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And his white hair like twine.
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His eyes they were narrowed
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His skin was so pale.
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And when he screamed
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He made the instruments fail.
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He spoke no kind words
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But went right to work.
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And told all the watchstanders
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They operated like jerks.
-
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With a spill in the tunnel
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And the plant in a scram,
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He reflooded the escape trunk
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And out of it he swam.
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But we heard him yell out
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Before he shut down the lid.
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I passed you, you bastards
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And you're lucky I did
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