"The ship is sunk - he's wrecked at last at sea, / His life to guard in his extremity, / He binds around him his life-preserver, / Which buoys him safely above the water, / So if his float is lost, yet still he'll swim; / Some ship that's sailing by may take him in."—Barber, 1857

Hope for the Best, Prepare for the Worst

"The ship is sunk - he's wrecked at last at sea, / His life to guard in his extremity, / He binds around…