The Grand Old Boat (Don’t Go to Sea No More)
Words and Music by Brian Berlin
Copyright © 2023 Brian Berlin. All rights reserved.
Just inside the jetty, anchored in the bay
A seven-minute row from the shore
The old sailor occupies himself to pass the time of day
‘Cause his grand old boat don’t go to sea no more
His skin is tough as leather, cured by salt and sun
A shadow of the man he was before
Her lines and sails are weathered, her engine, it won’t run
So, the grand old boat don’t go to sea no more
Been by himself before, it’s his first time to feel lonely
And he wonders what the hell it’s all been for
It’s a fatal move, he knows, to live your life by what if only
When the grand old boat don’t go to sea no more
He loved them all desperately, the women that he’s sailed with
See the stack of pictures on the drawer?
One by one, they came, they left, he felt like he had failed them
‘Cause the grand old boat don’t go to sea no more
Now and then the wind points her bow t’ward the horizon
He’s tempted to weigh anchor and leave port
But the mirror shows the oldest man he’s ever set his eyes on
So, the grand old boat don’t go to sea no more
He’s quite the local character, to hear the people say
They love him at the bar and at the store
He’s got a little money, but they never make him pay
‘Cause the grand old boat don’t go to sea no more
No one’s really sure the last time they saw the sailor
Who’s resting in his berth forevermore
From character to legend to a landmark in the bay
The grand old boat don’t go to sea no more
No, the grand old boat don’t go to sea no more