English Channel

We turned around, we were headin' south
We were tryin' to get off the island
Wishin' for a sky without any clouds
With a big nice bright sun shinin'

We found a spot in a soggy swamp
And set up our tiny tent
Our feet were wet again
But we were gettin' used to it

Our feet were always wet

A man drove by in a silver car
With a mean look on his face
He looked at us in the rear-view
And then he hit the breaks

We walked up to the open window
Not knowin' what to think
But he wanted to know where we were goin'
And see if it was on his way

We told him we were goin' to Dover
And hopefully over to France that night
He said, "So am I, hop in
And I'll give you a ride"

And we were on our way

He said he stopped to pick us up
Because we looked so out of luck
He was havin' a bad day too
But he thought we had him beat

It was his philosophy that if you see
Someone in a worse way than you
It's your ethical obligation
To stop and see what you can do

I wish that everyone thought that too

He asked if we had our tickets
And when our boat would leave
We confessed we didn't know that yet
And we'd get there then we'd see

He said, "You should just ride with me
Because passengers ride free
It takes a couple of hours
And I could use the company"

So could we, so could we

But he was goin' to Belgium
And we were goin' to France
But we decided to change our plans
'Cause you don't pass up a chance like that

We got there late and he was pissed
That he missed the hovercraft
If he'd have to take the slow boat
Then he would ride first class

Our bad luck was gone at last

We got to the lonely lobby
And we filled our packs with snacks
They were free, those pastries
And those drinks would weight our backs

He could see our hesitation
We were concerned about bein' rude
He said, "Take as much as you can hold, kids
I was once like you

I have been there too"

We got aboard the ferry
And they took us to our seats
Which were basically in a nice restaurant
And it looked like we were gonna get to eat

They brought us priceless menus
And they brought us more drinks
We were the only dirty kids there
With our big backpacks and stinky feet

So we ate our three-course meal
And talked to our new-found friend
We told him about the music we played
He was an electrician

He asked where we planned to sleep that night
We said we had no clue
He said, "I'll drop you off by the side of the road
That's what I used to do

I was once like you"