This track comes from Aaron's military service — Air Force enlisted, Army Infantry officer, DoD civilian at SPAWAR/NIWC. It tackles The stories told during the midnight watch - the lies, the truths, the legends that grow with every telling, the humor that keeps you awake. The lyrics get specific — "About the time in Bahrain when the Petty Officer fell through" — because personal tracks on Majik's are personal for real, not performatively. The rock production matches the energy of the confession. It hits humorous and warm, in that order. Every personal track in the catalogue comes from a real moment, a real feeling, a real person. This one is no exception.
[verse 1]
Zero-dark-thirty, bridge is quiet, stars are loud
Four hours to kill before the sunrise shows the crowd
Of another day at sea, but right now it's just us
Two sailors and a pot of coffee made of rust
And ambition, and he starts with did I ever tell you
About the time in Bahrain when the Petty Officer fell through
The ceiling of the bar, yes you told me, tell me again
Because at midnight on the ocean, every story is a friend
[chorus]
Midwatch stories, getting better every time
The fish gets bigger and the liberty gets finer
Midwatch stories, lies and truth entwined
But who cares about the facts when the telling is divine
Keep 'em coming, keep 'em rolling through the night
Midwatch stories by the radar's green light
[verse 2]
She says did I tell you about boot camp, first day
Drill instructor made a kid cry, then walked away
Because the kid had the same name as his daughter
And for a moment he was human, then he caught her
Looking soft, so he dropped the whole division
Fifty push-ups for the crime of showing a decision
That involved a heart, can't have that in the service
But the story makes us laugh because we're all a little nervous
About the hearts we're hiding underneath the uniform
Midwatch stories keep them beating, keep them warm
[chorus]
Midwatch stories, getting better every time
The fish gets bigger and the liberty gets finer
Midwatch stories, lies and truth entwined
But who cares about the facts when the telling is divine
Keep 'em coming, keep 'em rolling through the night
Midwatch stories by the radar's green light
[bridge]
The best ones start with no kidding, this actually happened
Which means it probably didn't, not exactly as captioned
But the truth is in the feeling, not the facts
And at two AM you don't check facts
You check the helm, check the bearing, check the soul
Of the person next to you who's making whole
Another night at sea with nothing but their words
Midwatch stories, the most powerful swords
Against the boredom and the dark
[verse 3]
Now I'm home and the midwatch is just insomnia
But sometimes at two AM the nostalgia's on ya
And I wish I had a shipmate in the chair beside me
With a story that would help the clock unwind me
So I text the group chat, anyone awake
And sure enough, a sailor never sleeps for old time's sake
Remember when, they type, and there it goes again
A midwatch story across the cellular plan
Different ocean, different watch, but the stories never end
Because a sailor's greatest weapon is the tale they tend
[chorus]
Midwatch stories, getting better every time
The fish gets bigger and the liberty gets finer
Midwatch stories, lies and truth entwined
But who cares about the facts when the telling is divine
Keep 'em coming, keep 'em rolling through the night
Midwatch stories, keeping sailors' hearts alight
[outro]
Did I ever tell you about the time
Yeah, tell me again
One more time
