Am Am7 Am6 Dm7 Am
Am7 Am6 Dm7 Am
[Verse 1]
Am
The daylight quickly fading,
Dm
with his headache wearing off,
G
the collar of his over coat
Am E7 Am
muffling his cough.
Dm
A siren from a ship
Am
barely made him raise his head,
E
since he'd missed the boat to Malmo,
Am E Am
he'd try Gothenburg instead.
[Verse 2]
Am
Outside snow was falling,
Dm
like torn up betting slips,
G
confetti for the jilted, wedding
Am E Am
night of passing ships.
Dm
And if they ever find her,
Am
she'll be one more on the list,
E
and if they never find her,
Am E Am
how long will she be missed
[Instrumental]
Am Am7 Am6 Dm7 Am
Am7 Am6 Dm7 Am
[Verse 3]
Am
Black skeletons of cranes
Dm
against the snow at night,
G
witness dockside shadows
Am E Am
that negotiate the night.
Dm
Lost souls flew like seagulls
Am
who have slipped their earthly chain,
E
risen and returned
Am E Am
as the snow turns into rain.
[Middle 8]
F
While the Filipino sailors
Am
with a flag from Panama
E
silently slipped moorings, he stayed
Am E7 Am
anchored at the bar.
F
The barmaid poured his beer
Am
without a second glance,
E7
and set it on the counter
Am E Am
with a shot of Gammel Dansk.
[Instrumental]
Am Am7 Am6 Dm7 Am
Am7 Am6 Dm7 Am
[Verse 4, first bars instrumental solo]
Am Dm G Am E Am
Dm7 Dm7/G
Any dockside drive
E7/G# Am
is a harbour not a home
E
Life is black and white,
Am E Am
and the world is monochrome
[Middle 8]
F
While the Filipino sailors
Am
with a flag from Panama
E
left the harbour's safety
Am E7 Am
to the open sea once more
F
Their world moved safely backwards
Am
as the vessel headed past,
E7
he lent forward on the counter
Am E7 Am
and drained another glass.
[Instrumental]
Am Am7 Am6 Dm7 Am
Am7 Am6 Dm7 Am
[Verse 5]
Am
As he pulled out his cigarettes,
Dm
loose change spilled on the floor,
G
like a clue left for the cleaners
Am E Am
as he tilted out the door.
Dm
And through the bones of cranes
Am
the wind began to blow,
E
birds settled on the water
Am E Am
and the rain turned back to snow.
[Outro]
Am Am7 Am6 Dm7 Am
Am Am7 Am6 Dm7 Am
Am Am7 Am6 Dm7 Am
Am Am7 Am6 Dm7 Am
Am
