Safe Upon The Shore

A girl upon the shore did ask a favour of the sea:

"Return my blue eyed sailor boy safely back to me

Forgive me if I ask too much, I will not ask for more

But I shall weep until he sleeps safe upon the shore."

As though the sea did hear her plea, a vision did appear

The drifting tip of some wrecked ship came floating ever near

A figure there did cling to it, approaching more and more

As if to ride on some strange tide, safe upon the shore

So give a sailor not your heart

Lest sorrow you do seek

Let true love not be torn apart

By favours from the sea

"My love," she cried as she a spied the figure on the spar

His clean white shirt was drenched and torn, he must have floated far

She thought with bliss how she would kiss the lips she did adore

And oh, how sweet to see his feet safe upon the shore

So give a sailor not your heart

Lest sorrow you do seek

Let true love not be torn apart

By favours from the sea

As she drew near, she felt the fear that something was astray

His mouth was slack and his blue eyes stared blindly at the day

And in a daze, she turned her gaze from the corpse the driftwood bore

And the cold, cold sea pushed ruthlessly safe upon the shore

So give a sailor not your heart

Lest sorrow you do seek

Let true love not be torn apart

By favours from the sea

Now fishermen, they cast their nets like miners pan for gold

And sailors push off from the docks and pray the gales will hold

The sea just sits silently

But sometimes she does more

And someone weeps as her love sleeps safe upon the shore.