Return to Port

Lyrics

Verse 1
Out past the spit and foam
We lost our names at dusk
A cutter with her lanterns out
A merchant ship turned rust

The waves kept every secret
The gulls refused to tell
We sailed on maps of rumor
And came back under spell

Pre-Chorus
Then the fog split slow
And the harbor bells rang low
A shadow on the tide
With a grin we used to know

Chorus
Return to port
Return to port
(ahoy, ahoy)
The lost come back for more

Return to port
Return to port
(clink, clink, clink)
We drink with what we swore

Verse 2
A ghost ship on the starboard
Her sail was torn like lace
The pirate flags still hanging
Though no one had a face

A sunken hull behind her
Rose like a broken knee
She followed us in silence
Then bowed out to the sea

Pre-Chorus
Then the fog split slow
And the harbor bells rang low
A shadow on the tide
With a grin we used to know

Chorus
Return to port
Return to port
(ahoy, ahoy)
The lost come back for more

Return to port
Return to port
(clink, clink, clink)
We drink with what we swore

Bridge
Now in the tavern corner
The salt sits in our hair
We laugh at empty table
And toast the ones not there

A spoon taps on the barrel
The window shakes with wind
And when the door swings inward
We swear they sail in

Final Chorus
Return to port
Return to port
(ahoy, ahoy)
The lost come back for more

Return to port
Return to port
(clink, clink, clink)
We drink with what we swore

Return to port
Return to port
(wind in the boards)
The dead know this harbor floor