we´re taking on water
diesel and stores
laying up awhile
before i´m back on board
they´re patching her up
to go fishing again
they´re welding her rudder
scrubbing her keel
scars on her belly
need time to heal
in the dock
with the trawlermen

i know all the people
there´s nobody new
soon we´ll be leaving
with the same old crew
on the green water
the tumbling sea
they ain´t running
like the good old days
time´s just slipping
down the old slipways
in the dock
so dear to me

dark is the night
i need a guiding light
to keep me
from foundering
on the rocks
my only prayer
is just to see you there
at the end
of my wandering
back in the dock

i could use a layoff
getting my strength back
but there´s a loan to pay off
and a few skipjack
so it´s a turnaround
back in the southerly wind
pirates coming in
to steal our gold
you can count yourself lucky
with a profit in the hold
in the dock
when we come in

dark is the night
i need a guiding light
to keep me
from foundering
on the rocks
my only prayer
is just to see you there
at the end
of my wandering
back in the dock