[Intro]
[Verse]
Do you remember riding home before a dying summer breeze
Your tops ls gleaming golden, setting sun among the trees
And the osprey wheeling slowly through the shadows by the shore
Where the towering cliffs of granite plunge ten fathoms deep or more
And the eddies swirl and flow down below
[Verse]
You were solid-built of Douglas fir and oak and yellow pine
Two hundred feet, sailed by a crew that numbered only nine
Hauling lumber through your timberports, and dyewood from the south
Running home from Norfolk, bearing coal to heat the north
And whatever they could stow down below
{Chorus]
But the winter is upon you now, and time is passing slow
And the tides ebb and flow down below
[Verse]
You served them well for fifteen years, your canvas all unfurled
When New England sailing ships were found in ports around the world
But spars gave way to smokestacks, clouds of white to black and grey
There was nothing left for you to do, but waste your time away
And the rot was spreading slow, down below
{Chorus]
But the winter is upon you now, and time is passing slow
And the tides ebb and flow down below
[Verse]
From Wiscasset to the China Lakes, the Narrow Gauge did run
And to push it northward to Quebec was old Frank Winter s plan
And the schooners were to bring his cargoes in to meet the train
When he found you idle by the dock, he brought you down to Maine
Where the tides ebb and flow down below
[Verse]
You know he tried the best he could, but he just couldn t make it pay
So he ran you both aground, and turned around and walked away
You ve been waiting here for fifty years, but no one set you free
Now you re broken down and dying, lying open to the sea
And the tides ebb and flow down below
{Chorus]
And the winter is upon you now, and time is passing slow
And the tides ebb and flow down below
[Verse]
Now the people come to stare at you with wonder in their eyes
For times have changed since men knew how to work a ship your size
And the seas you sailed are running black, in time we ll know our loss
It s too late now for you, but is it too late now for us?
Can you teach what you know before you go?
{Chorus]
For the winter is upon you now, and time is passing slow
And the tides ebb and flow down below
{Chorus]
For the winter is upon you now, and time is passing slow
And the tides ebb and flow down below
