Verse 1

You folded my letter beside the stove,

The harbor was gray when the landing boats drove.

I tucked your blue thread in my coat,

And carried your name where the cold waves broke.

Verse 2

I heard the guns roll over the bay,

I counted the boats as they slipped away.

Your boots by the doorway, your cup by the sink,

I held to the small things so I wouldn’t think.

Chorus

Hold fast, my love, through the salt and the rain,

Across every mile, I will call you again.

When the tide turns homeward and the long watch is done,

We’ll meet where the shore grass bends in the sun.

Verse 3

The sand took our footsteps, the dawn took the smoke,