John & Mary Clouds Of Reason
The bells of the village ring
Only three times they sing for the boy who decided
Just where he'd go,
Hearing a Galveston radio show
The clouds of reason at times
They rain mistakenly
On the young ones that never should die alone.
And he'd been through the Maritimes
And he'd been through the summertime
And he'd been through the wintertime
And the time told him just where to go
From the Gulf to the Northern Sea
Twenty years just a memory
He had given the time of his life
But his time was so limited.
After searching all year non-stop
Up in Natchez he got a job
Where they never asked him papers to show
Where all you been they don't wanna know
As the captain was sizing him up,
Held out a big hand to wish him good luck:
'The smaller the sailor
The bigger the catch will bring.'
And he'd been through the Maritimes
And he'd been through the summertime
And he'd been through the wintertime
And the time told him just where to go
From the Gulf to the Northern Sea
Twenty years just a memory
He had given the time of his life
But his time was so limited.
At 6 a.m. it is still dark
A lantern makes its way down to the sea
He things of nighttime when
He'll be again with her
Twin beds pushed together
Hear the ocean breeze.
The boat rocked in a troubled sea
Waking dreams are not meant to be
The boy lost his balance and into the foam
Never again to return to his home.
The hardest thing for the captain to do
Was meeting Ann when
The long day was through
When she saw the boat empty
She knew without hearing the words.
And he'd been through the Maritimes
And he'd been through the summertime
And he'd been through the wintertime
And the time told him just where to go
From the Gulf to the Northern Sea
Twenty years just a memory
He had given the time of his life
But his time was so limited.
In old days he never let trouble
Like this get to him
Hiring a boy and then learning
He never could swim.
The harborlights dim in the morning
That circles the bay
And the bells of the village ring three times
To welcome the day.