Sail On, Passing Ship

[Verse 1] The compass held its little nerve While seven weeks went sliding by Salt dried white along the rail And gulls kept score against the sky I learned the swell by how it leaned The long blue miles by how they passed Now the western edge is catching fire And this old heading’s home at last [Pre-Chorus] There you go, with your lights just waking Cutting east through the copper sea I raise my hand above the water You’re the first one i’ve seen in days [Chorus] Sail on, passing ship, sail on Take the last gold line with you I’ve been carried by the open water Farther than i ever knew Sail on, passing ship, sail on Tell the shore the long run’s through When the sun slips under the horizon I’ll be turning homeward too [Verse 2] No fence could hold that moving blue No road could tell me where to turn The deck gave every hour a name The stars gave back what charts had learned I spoke to you across the distance Though your bridge was much too far Your wake unstitched the evening water Like a seam beneath the first star [Pre-Chorus] There you go, with your lights just waking A small bright promise on the tide I’ve spent so long with nothing beside me Now another soul’s alive [Chorus] Sail on, passing ship, sail on Take the last gold line with you I’ve been carried by the open water Farther than i ever knew Sail on, passing ship, sail on Tell the shore the long run’s through When the sun slips under the horizon I’ll be turning homeward too [Bridge] At dawn, the harbor will come into view With the breakwater dark against morning But i’ll keep one piece of this distance In the way i walk on land [Instrumental: saxophone and clean electric guitar fills] [Final chorus] Sail on, passing ship, sail on Take the last gold line with you I’ve been carried by the open water Farther than i ever knew Sail on, passing ship, sail on Tell the shore the long run’s through As the sun slips under the horizon I’m already turning home to you [Outro] Sail on, passing ship, sail on I’m already turning home