The Black Sand Singers - Nails for the Island | Winds of Wander

Tahiti, June 1769: the strangers come a long way to watch Venus cross the sun, while their sailors trade the ship's nails for breadfruit, garlands and glances. A laughing island song in layered harmony. "Nails for the Island" by The Black Sand Singers, from the radio of Winds of Wander, made for the game with Suno. Winds of Wander is an age-of-sail trading and adventure game on the real coasts of the world, from 1402 to 1799. In development, by one maker. All the music, with the words and translations: https://windsofwander.com/music/ Lyrics Out past the reef came a hill with white wings, And out of it climbed the most curious things: Pale men in hats, and a tent, and a stand, And a long brass eye that they aimed... at the sun! (At the sun!) They came for a star! (a star, a star) They came a long way for a dot on the sun, They counted the sky! (the sky, the sky) But they couldn't count nails, not a single one! The wise men sat still with their glass and their clocks, Afraid of one cloud, so they hardly would blink, While the sailors behind them, released from the docks, Had time on their hands... and had time to think. A nail for a breadfruit, a nail for a fish, A nail for a garland, a nail for a dish, A nail for a dance in the evening, and then A nail for a glance, and a glance back again! A nail for a glance, and a glance back again! Nail! (huh) Nail! (huh) One from the boat and one from the rail! Aaaaah! Then the star crossed the sun like a bead on a thread, And the watchers wrote numbers, and nodded, and said: Then the star crossed the sun like a bead on a thread, And the watchers wrote numbers, and nodded, and said: "Now we know how wide the heavens are." And we knew how wide their pockets were... by the nails they gave so far. Now the officers walk with a frown on the deck, They count every plank and they count every peg, "One more nail leaves this ship, boys, and we'll sail home in a heap!" So we gave a few back... the bent ones! ...for them to keep. They measured the sun, and they measured the sea, They measured the sun, and they measured the sea, They measured the distance from Venus to me, But the best measure taken on Point Venus sand Was a nail for a flower, from hand to hand. They came for a star! (a star, a star) They came a long way for a dot on the sun, They counted the sky! (the sky, the sky) And we counted the fun... and the fun had won! And we counted the fun... and the fun had won! #WindsOfWander #GameMusic #AgeOfSail