Harbor of Simcha

Intro (Crew Call) Heave-ho, lads — 25 Shevat! Lines cast loose — no turning back! Verse 1 — Departure We left the dock on Shevat’s end, Gray skies low and cold wind’s bend, Harbor ropes still wet with frost, Compass steady, anchors tossed. Twenty-fifth of Shevat’s breath, Winter clung like whispered death, Timbers groaned beneath the strain, Salt and spray and iron rain. Chorus Oh we sail for the Harbor of Simcha, Through the dark and the biting foam, For we’ve heard when אֲדָר is rising Even storms must bring us home. Verse 2 — Rough Seas Nights were long as unpaid debt, Decks with frozen sorrow wet, Lantern light would flicker thin, Doubt crept quiet through the din. One man prayed against the mast, One swore this gale would be our last, One just stared at endless black, Counting waves that pushed us back. The maps were right — the wind was not, We questioned more than we forgot, If joy was myth or distant shore, Or tale told dockside evermore. Chorus Oh we sail for the Harbor of Simcha, Through the cold of Shevat’s roar, For we’ve heard when אֲדָר is rising The tide won’t fight us anymore. Bridge — Turning Point Then came a dawn without a fight, No bitter spray, no iron night, The air felt softer in the lungs — The gulls returned in lighter tongues. “Rosh Chodesh!” someone cried, As silver sun broke open wide, The calendar had turned its page — And so had sea, and so had rage. Verse 3 — Rosh Chodesh אֲדָר The sails caught wind like answered prayer, Salt turned sweet within the air, The waves that mocked began to play, Like dancing hands that cleared the way. Men who feared the dark before Now sang loud from bow to oar, Laughter rang from rope to spar, Blessed the month — Rosh Chodesh אֲדָר. Nights grew kind with scattered stars, Stories shared of old sea scars, But no one spoke of turning back — Simcha rode the rolling track. Chorus (Brighter) Oh we sail in the Harbor of Simcha, Under skies of softened blue, When אֲדָר walks across the waters Even oceans bow to You. Verse 4 — Pleasant Days Deck was warm by midday light, Cards and tea and gulls in flight, Songs replaced the groaning wood, Hardship turned to understood. We didn’t change the ocean’s frame, But how we stood inside the same, What was storm became the tale That strengthened hand and tightened sail. Final Chorus — Arrival Now we dock at the Harbor of Simcha, With salt still crusted in our beards, For we learned when אֲדָר is rising It can soften hardened years. Heave-ho, lads — drop the line, Raise a cup and bless the sign, From Shevat’s frost to אֲדָר’s cheer, We sailed the storm — and made it here. Outro (Crew Softly) When the wind turns kind — Give thanks. When the sea runs calm — Give thanks. When אֲדָר rises — Sing.