Not The Leaving

Go and gather up your things for the long ride
Don't ask me: Where are we going?
It'll take time
And the flowers, oh, the flowers will be buried under snow
When the cold winds blow
But the lake changes quicker than you know

At the seaside wading in the low tide in the shallows
In the wintertime, stars in the western sky flicker and fade out
But the water, oh, the water is shaking
At the breeze from the high, high seas
And the lake changes are bitter to my knees

Then I'll wade down
I'm weighed down with family photographs and relics
I've found in a back room
I'll be back soon
I won't sink, I'll swim
I'll be back soon

You and I, let's build a bonfire in the sand dunes
And sit a while, cheek-to-cheek
And I'll be humming your favorite tune
It's not the leaving that's grieving me
It's the thought of you alone making my heart moan
And when the lake changes, down the road I go

Then I'll wade down
I'm weighed down with family photographs and relics
I've found in a back room
I'll be back soon
I won't sink, I'll swim

I'll be back soon
Go and gather up your things for the long ride