From the recording Blue Water
The life of a sailor has always been a peripatetic one, and that has not changed much. It’s nigh on impossible to maintain any kind of normal relationship unless your true love is on the same ship, and god help you if it doesn’t work out. I wrote this for the tall ship crews I’ve met over the years at the Gloucester Schooner Festival.
Lyrics
He was a sailor; she was living alone
They met on the dance floor in a bar in Bayonne
He was looking for true love; she wanted much more
But none of the mattered when they walked out the door
It was love on a lee shore for two lonely souls
But if you linger too long there you’ll wind up on the shoals
You can weigh anchor and make for the sea
But with love on a lee shore there are no guarantees
She was a teacher; he travelled the world
But he was in love wit, that sweet hometown girl
He had lost track of all the girls he’d turned down
But when you sail on those tall ships you’re never around
It was love on a lee shore and taking its toll
If you’ve lingered too long there you’ll wind up on the shoals
You can make fast your hatches and just hunker down
But if that is your best plan you'd best be ready to drown
Ch: You’ll know you’re in for some weather
When the birds start to fly
And you see those sun-dogs
And a mackerel sky
You can haul in your canvas
Batten everything down
But when you’re caught on a lee shore
You’re going aground
He wrote each Sunday when he was on land
‘Til he called from Australia to ask for her hand
But he knew what was coming by the chill in his bones
And the rain started falling when she hung up the phone
It was love on a lee shore and when it starts to blow
If you linger too long there, you’ll wind up on the shoals
You can head for the harbor and pray you don’t fail
But the odds are not with you in a full force 10 gale
Ch x 2 then repeat last two lines