Defense of the Undeniably Political, but Certainly Poetic

I have a rather... odd taste in music, so this song is actually my favorite song in the world. Published in 1843 as a statement against the hanging of three men during the Somers Affair of 1842, The Somers Curse is beautifully written and utterly haunting. It could have been worse. I seriously debated defending Drunken Sailor, and no one's exactly sure when that song was written.

Just to give the brief history, on December 1^st, 1842, 18 year old Midshipman Phillip Spencer along with the older ABS Elisha Small, and Boatswain's mate Samuel Cromwell were hanged for attempted mutiny. The only attempted mutiny to ever occur in the history of the United States Navy, it was the catalyst that inspired the foundation of our Naval School. Let's brainwash the boys before we put them on a ship they could steal!

The mutineers died without a full trial, or due process, a mere thirteen days away from harbor, where a proper court martial could have awaited them. Spencer died insisting that while he was guilty and deserved to die for his crimes, the older men had no part in his machinations. Small and Cromwell also died protesting their innocence.

Keep in mind, however, that the USS Somers was a small ship, with no real brig. Supplies were running low, and the crew was getting antsy. Commander McKenzie saw that keeping the three alive could have inspired the rest of a the crew to mutiny – a fight he could not have won.

That was my attempt at brief. I could rant for days on this, sorry.

The song Curse of the Somers was published by The New York Times early in 1843, and it was beautiful.

Strange sounds will float upon the air
and in the blast will speak.
and round the main yardarm three ghosts
will play and dance and shriek.

Likely my favorite stanza of the song, the rhythm and the language clearly label this as poetry. The entire song is truly beautiful, though. It lacks metaphor, simile, and other devices, but the words are beautiful nonetheless, and with their beauty starkly portray horrors.

On starboard young foolish Spencer stands,

the tears are in his eye.

What feelings of deep agony,

must through his bosom fly.

Look, look your last, for hark a gun,

sends forth it's smoky breath.

Whip instantly upon the word,

their eyes are sealed in death.

Always paired together, the two stanzas depict the moments before the three men are hoisted into the air by their necks. The emotion of the youngest, the smoke of the signal gun, the sudden blankness of their eyes.

That particular stanza does contain a metaphor, though I fear an incorrect one. “Whip instantly upon the word/their eyes are sealed in death,” compares the time between the firing of the gun and their death with the time it takes a whip to come down upon a sailor's back. I fear that is not true. Most likely they were hoisted into the air and allowed to kick for a few minuets. Without a drop, the neck would not break, at least not right away. It would be accurate if they were forced to stand on the main yardarm itself and then shoved off after tightening the noose. In that case, the neck would break, and they would die quickly. But given that part of the reason they were killed was as a warning to the rest of the crew, Commander McKenzie likely capitalized on the spectacle aspect of a hanging. Either way, the imagery is beautifully done, and horrifying in it's meaning. The sort of marriage betwixt beauty and horror in language is most prominent in poetry, and that is certainly present in Curse of the Somers.

So, with those points, it is clear that the Curse of the Somers is poetry. I first discovered it, I'll admit, when looking for pirate related anime, and found instead a fan-illustrated depiction of the events of December 1^st, 1842 set to this song. It's beautifully done, so if you'd like to listen to it, here is the link.