And Then Shackleton Said

[KAT]
And then Shackleton said to his brave, hearty men
It's time to prepare for the winter
We will wait out the storms in the grip of the ice
We will ration our food and our tinder

Not a moment to spare, not a crumb went to waste
Whatever they had, they would use it
At the edge of the earth, with the night closing in
Their captain commanded:

[SHACKLETON]
Play music!

[SHACKLETON, spoken]
Katherine, look what I'm learning to play!

[KAT, spoken]
You brought a banjo on such a dangerous journey?

[SHACKLETON, spoken]
Why, I hired one of my crewmen solely because he knew how to fingerpick. We all need music, Katherine. Of course, my musicianship pales in comparison to yours

[KAT, spoken]
Well, I bet I'm not as good a sailor as you

[SHACKLETON, spoken]
No one is, Katherine. Now, guess what my men's favorite tune is, eh? A-one-and-a-two-and-a-three-

[SHACKLETON]
We are a long way from Tipperary
But still the gramophone will play

[KAT]
And you have concerts down in the mess hall
Where you can sing the nights away

[SHACKLETON]
We play the banjo for the penguins
In the crisp Antarctic breeze

[KAT]
With all the music you barely notice
The whole damn ocean freeze

[KAT, spoken]
Ernest, that's amazing!

[KAT]
Man, you are a full-fledged optimist

[SHACKLETON, spoken]
Indeed I am!

[KAT/SHACKLETON]
A true-blue, full-fledged optimist
Don't you let your heart sink down

[SHACKLETON]
I say

[KAT/SHACKLETON]
Why don't you wipe away that frown

[SHACKLETON]
I say

[KAT/SHACKLETON]
We will brook no sadness here
We are cheerful in the face of fear

[SHACKLETON, spoken]
That's the spirit, my love

[KAT, spoken]
So has the ice melted?

[SHACKLETON, spoken]
Oh, no. It's drifting, and the ship is drifting with it. But for now, the men remain in good spirits, for our sled dogs have had puppies, and by God they are adorable!

[KAT, spoken]
Aw!

[KAT]
So the puppies, the men, and the banjo play on
Through the winter that seems never-ending
And though the songs and the games help them all pass the time
Still the darkness just keeps on descending

And the black of the night fastens onto their souls
Even music is scant reassurance
For there's no way to stop the implacable ice
As it threatens to wreck the Endurance

The men suddenly find to their horror and fear
That they're caught in a stranglehold grip
An immense frozen vice, cracking timbers like twigs
The ice is attacking the ship!

She buckles and she splinters
She cracks with a terrible noise
And then the ice pack squeezes tighter
It shatters and snaps and destroys

Freezing water pours in below decks
It's a miracle the men do not drown
All they take is what they can carry
And then they watch their ship go down

[KAT, spoken]
Wait! They had to leave their ship in the middle of the Antarctic?