When The Right Ships Came

Lyrics

Verse 1
Soft grass, small hands
Wooden swords in the sand
They draw bright suns
In the dust by the harbor
Lining up shoes
On a painted blue border
Counting the clouds
Till they hear their own names

Pre-Chorus
Every day the same tall waves
Every day they smile and wave

Chorus
In a land of love, they were waiting
Tiny flags and paper crowns
Looking for the faces
That could lift them off the ground
Then the wrong ships came
Like a storm across their game
Turned their playground into shadows
Turned their laughter into flames

Verse 2
Iron steps, hard boots
Heavy coats, hard eyes
Voices like metal
Cracking open the sky
Soft hands shake
Little feet slip, stumble
Names fall apart
In a tangle of cries

Pre-Chorus
Every shout a broken glass
Every second stretched to last

Chorus
In a land of love, they were scattered
Spinning lights and siren sound
Little mouths all out of language
Only screaming, only drowned
Then the dark ships roared
Spitting fire along the shore
Tore their picture-book to pieces
Left their colored chalk in gore

Bridge
Smoke on the waves
Then a thunder from the deep
A shadow over evil
Like the night had come to eat
One hull split, one hull torn
Brothers, sisters, faces worn
Eyes like storms
Hearts like blades, reborn (hey)

Chorus
In a land of love, they came burning
Not with hate, but with a vow
Every step a shield in motion
“No one hurts them now”
From the broken waves they rose
Took the blows, took all the blows
Turned the terror into ash
Pulled their siblings from the smoke

Outro
Soft grass, small hands
Hold on to worn-out sleeves
War still hangs
In the breath that they breathe
But in this torn, blackened land
Side by side, they stand
In a land of love
Guarded by their own