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Iron Mike Lyrics by Jonathan Larson

The Jonathan Larson Project

2019

On a starry black night
At the base of mount hogen
Beyond horsetail creek
And Anderson bay
From the port of Valdez
Sailed a ship bound for Long Beach
Over one million barrels of crude stowed away
To the left of the wheel
In the bridge on the upper deck
Under the compass was he
Navigation computer
The captain and fisherman's friend
Who could steer perfectly
They called him Iron Mike
In the dead of the night
He steered the way through the darkness
Iron Mike, didn’t see the red light on the reef
Now the skipper had twenty years sailing with Exxon
He'd been known to throw back one or two
Yet no one thought twice when he set auto-pilot
And retired below with the crew
From the two AM stillness
Came the cry of the third mate
Someone better go wake up the chief
Yet by then, it was too late
The starboard tanks had twelve-foot gashes cut out by Bligh Reef
Iron Mike
In the dead of the night
He steered the way through the darkness
Iron Mike, didn't see the red light on the reef, on the reef
The forget-me-knots cried and the salmon all died
And the fishermen wore black arm bands
And the spokesmen from Exxon
Said no major damage
Though six million gallons remain in the sands
And from rocky point down
To mount Freemantle you can still see
The black film on the soil
And the echos rebound
Throughout Prince William Sound
Of the half frozen animals choking in oil
Iron Mike
In the dead of the night
He steered the way through the darkness
Iron Mike, didn’t see the red light on the reef
Who's at the helm of this ship of state
We're in for some rough navigation
We have the power, The hour is late
Gotta get tough and clean up the nation
On the first of the year
South of Governor's Island
In the waterway called Arthur Kill
Black Rainbows of Exxon
Like Grayed again flowed like hot fudge
In a big Apple spill
The detection machine had malfunctioed quite often
Repair procedures so hard to enforce
And down on Paul's Island
The cleanup begins and the horror continues
Till we chart our own course
Iron Mike
It's the dead of the night
He can steer the way through the darkness
Iron Mike, must see the light for relief, for relief, for relief, for relief
Credits
Jonathan Larson

Jonathan Larson

About “Iron Mike” by Jonathan Larson

Read the complete lyrics to "Iron Mike" by Jonathan Larson from the album "The Jonathan Larson Project" in 2019. On Lyrks you can follow along with the full text, explore the artist's discography, and discover related songs. The track is often categorized under Pop.

"Iron Mike" is performed by Jonathan Larson. from the album "The Jonathan Larson Project" in 2019 This page provides the full lyric text for fans who want to sing along, study the songwriting, or compare versions across releases. Lyrks organizes lyrics by artist and song slug so you can bookmark and share a stable URL. Music lyrics help listeners connect with emotion, narrative, and rhythm in a track. Whether you are learning English, researching a favorite chorus, or preparing for karaoke, having accurate line breaks and section labels (verse, chorus, bridge) makes the experience easier. We link to the official artist profile on Lyrks where available, including biography snippets, top songs, and chart placements when we have that data. If you enjoy "Iron Mike", explore more songs by Jonathan Larson using the links below. Chart and trending pages on Lyrks highlight what listeners are searching for this week. For copyright or correction requests, see our DMCA and contact pages.

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Frequently asked questions

"Iron Mike" is credited to Jonathan Larson. Songwriting credits may include additional writers listed on the release; check the credits section on this page for linked collaborators.

"Iron Mike" appears on "The Jonathan Larson Project" in 2019.

Visit the Jonathan Larson artist page at /artist/jonathan-larson for biography, popular tracks, and links to more lyric pages.