"Chasing The Deep^©"
Lyrics by M. S. McKenzie | Performed by American Storyteller Music, Protected by Copyright

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Original Song Lyrics: Written by M. S. McKenzie, All Rights Reserved

"Chasing The Deep"

[Intro – ambient pads + toms, distant foghorn]
Periscope dawn on the Thames runs cold…
Rivets sing where the weld arcs glow…

[Verse 1]
She clocks in under cranes at Electric Boat
Name on a hull, paint on her coat
Coffee in steam by the river rails
Blueprint hands and a ring that tells
"Two more trials, then they take her down":
I kiss her cheek in New London town
"Run your depth, love; I'll hold the shore:
I'll keep the lights in our window warm"

[Pre-Chorus]
We learned to read the weather by a buoy bell's cry
Count the quiet seconds when the gulls drift by

[Chorus]
Steel below, heart above
Cold gray water, wildfire love
From Groton slips to the Sound at night
You chase the deep, I guard the light
When the world goes dark and the charts get rough
You carry us; I carry us:
Steel below, heart above

[Verse 2]
Nautilus sleeps by the museum glass
First to the ice, first through the past
She runs a hand on the rivet seam
Says "Every boat starts as somebody's dream"
I drive to Wooster Street:pizza to go
Folded like letters I used to know
I leave one slice on the window sill
For when your footsteps top the hill

[Pre-Chorus]
The radio low, I hum your name to the dial
Tide turns twice; I wait a while

[Chorus]
Steel below, heart above
Cold gray water, wildfire love
From Avery Point to Stonington light
You hunt the hush, I fight the night
If the beacon fades and the wind gets tough
You carry us; I carry us:
Steel below, heart above

[Bridge – drop to drums/claps, chant builds]
Oh:Charter Oak roots, hold fast, hold fast
Oh:Hale's last words still cross the mast
Oh:black hull breathing, silent and proud
We're one small vow said clear out loud:

[Lift – big toms + "whoa-oh" gang]
Whoa-oh, I'll leave the porch light on
Whoa-oh, till periscope meets dawn

[Verse 3 – band back in, wider]
First snow flares by the Shore Line East
Kids make signs: "Welcome home, at least"
You break the surface, a silver spine
Sirens and cheers on the winter tide
You climb the brow with your helmet low
Grease on your sleeve, a grin I know
You say, "Depth was dark but we never gave up"
We fall into one long, unbroken hug

[Final Chorus – higher key]
Steel below, heart above
Cold gray water, wildfire love
From Mystic masts to Saybrook light
You kept the watch; I kept it bright
When the seas rose up, it was not enough:
But you carried us; I carried us:
Yeah, steel below, heart above

[Outro – held vocal + guitar swell]
Periscope dawn… window light…
Two steady hands on the same tide

Song Description

Overview:
"Chasing The Deep" is an anthemic, pop-rock love song set in Groton/New London's submarine world:a duet-in-spirit between a sailor who "chases the deep" and a partner who "guards the light." It pairs stadium-size drums and soaring hooks with intimate New England details (Electric Boat, the USS Nautilus museum, Wooster Street, Avery Point, Stonington light), turning a local shoreline into a universal portrait of devotion under pressure.

Narrative & Point of View:
Told in first person from the partner at home, the lyric traces a full deployment arc: launch ("Periscope dawn… rivets sing"), the long vigil ashore (buoy bells, radio hum, porch light), and the winter-bright homecoming ("silver spine" surfacing, kids' signs, the unbroken hug). The voice is steady, practical, and quietly heroic:matching the submarine ethos of doing vital work out of sight.

Core Themes / Subtext:

• Two kinds of service. "Steel below, heart above" frames military duty and home-front caretaking as equal acts of courage.

• Faith in the unseen. Counting seconds between gulls, leaving a slice on the sill:rituals that keep love tangible when contact is impossible.

• Community & lineage. Charter Oak, Nathan Hale, and Nautilus appear as a lineage of endurance; the song suggests today's vows are grafted onto older ones.

• Ordinary details → epic meaning. Pizza boxes, frost, and shore-line trains become anchors for waiting, resolve, and reunion.

Setting & Imagery:

• Industrial-poetic: "Rivets sing where the weld arcs glow," "black hull breathing" blend shipyard steel with heartbeat language.

• Navigation metaphors: "Read the weather by a buoy bell's cry," "hold the shore," "guard the light" recast domestic life as seamanship.

• Circular structure: The opening "Periscope dawn" returns in the outro, closing the deployment loop.

Musical Character:
Arena-ready pop-rock (Imagine Dragons/OneRepublic lane): floor-tom stomps and claps in the verses, four-on-the-floor choruses, gang "whoa-ohs," and a key-lift finale. Ambient pads evoke sonar hush; chiming delay guitars sparkle against a warm piano/bass foundation. The bridge drops to drums + claps for a chantable oath, then surges into an ecstatic lift.

Why it resonates:
This isn't just a "military song":it's a partnership anthem. The refrain "You carry us; I carry us" lands as a thesis: love is logistics, patience, and shared endurance. The hometown markers keep it firmly Connecticut, but the emotional blueprint fits any family that's ever waited through the dark for safe return.

Notable Lines / Hooks:

• "We learned to read the weather by a buoy bell's cry" : maritime craft as emotional literacy.

• "You chase the deep, I guard the light" : the central vow, simple and unforgettable.

• "A silver spine" : the submarine surfacing made mythic and tender.

Placement in Songs Across America:
Pairs naturally with your Coast Guard cut ("Beacon on the Sound"). Together they form a coastal Connecticut diptych: one outward-facing rescue, one inward-facing resilience:both celebrating quiet American courage.

Production Notes:

• Tempo ~106 BPM; verses sparse (kick + floor tom + pad), choruses wide with stacked harmonies.

• Add distant foghorn/SFX in intro and a subtle sonar ping before the bridge; mute them for the key-lift to keep the vocal center stage.

• Consider a final a cappella repeat of "Steel below, heart above" before the last instrumental swell for goosebumps.