Into the West

The last couple nights have been hard to sleep. I don't feel the rocking until I sit down on a hard surface, stand for a while... or when I lie down... 


Also, my bunk is right near our cabin's bathroom, and I hear the toilet flush for all the cabins above/below mine and all the cabins on both sides... that's a lot of toilets! BTW, they're on a vacuum system, much like the ones you'd find on an airplane, so they're rather noisy. 


So between the rocking, the toilets, and the endless faint alarms from random machinery all throughout the ship it can be hard to sleep. My calves are so sore from all the stairs, but my brain's not tired. (This will be rectified once I start studying for the GRE test) 


The last two nights I've been so grateful for my MP3 player and the Lord of the Rings soundtracks. I've put "Into the West" from Return of the King on repeat and eventually I fall asleep. But as I've listened to these lyrics over and over I've come to see that they really could apply to life here on the ship...


Lay down
Your sweet and weary head
Night is falling
You have come to journey's end

Sleep now
And dream of the ones who came before
They are calling
From across the distant shore

Why do you weep?
What are these tears upon your face?
Soon you will see
All of your fears will pass away
Safe in my arms
You're only sleeping

What can you see
On the horizon?
Why do those white gulls call?
Across the sea
A pale moon rises
The ships have come
To carry you home

Dawn will turn to silver glass
A light on the water
All souls pass

Hope fades
Into the world of night
Through shadows falling
Out of memory and time

Don't say
We have come now to the end
White shores are calling
You and I will meet again
And you'll be here in my arms
Just sleeping

What can you see
On the horizon?
Why do those white gulls call?
Across the sea
A pale moon rises
The ships have come
To carry you home

And all will turn to silver glass
A light on the water
Grey ships pass
Into the West