On a brig loaded with timber headed
For the North Maine coast, they took on some rough seas
The captain and his slave fought back the heavy waves
But they were threatenin' to break her up so badly
See two days before they left the outer banks
And made good time up to Boston
The North of Essex the sky grew dark
He missed his mark he was makin' and life can change so fast
The captain had seen many a day
When the winds blew and the waters raged
But it was just a part of the life he made for himself
Runnin' the coast of New England
The ship heaved and cracked threw the men
On their backs as the water came rushin' in
But the captain fought hard yet, he yelled against
The splinterin' wreck, I have done you wrong son
And I should be forsaken for what I have done
Oh but Ben reached a timber to stay afloat
He grabbed the captain's braided coat
He swam him to the nearest shore
Dragged him up 'til he couldn't pull no more
And he left him breathin', left him breathin' dry
The captain said in all my days, I never seen anybody save
The very person who kept him enslaved
Goddamn it Ben, you should have your freedom
For what you have done
I should be forsaken for what I have done
Somewhere off the Maine coast
At the mouth of the New Meadows River there's a island
Where a marooned man lived out his life quietly under tide and sky
Never forgettin' when the sea rose up so high
The captain said in all my days, I never seen anybody save
The very person who kept him enslaved
Goddamn it Ben, you should have your freedom
For what you have done