LAST VOYAGE

By Tore Christiansen - Henning Kvitnes - 26 December 2023

Storm waves lash against the pier and quay
I walk here dreaming of spring days in May
At the helm towards the sunset, past Cadiz
And take a smoke on the bridge in the morning breeze
I went to sea when I was fifteen
And even though I'm sixty, it feels like yesterday
I climbed the ranks from deckhand until I ended up as Boss.
Between my home and the world, there was only a cabin lock

Now I sit on the aft deck on my final journey
And if you sit down with me, we'll chip in together
We can drown our sorrows, our sins, our longings
Because I was flagged out a long time ago in a foreign port
Flagged out a long time ago in a foreign port

In all the Texas bars, I've fought and I've won
And the girls in the joints just called me the boss
With a taxi down to the street when the others turned out
Because the workday began where the party ended
We went with whiskey up to the Lakes, sometimes it got messy
When a crate or two quietly descended on deck
And there was a toast to the north wind from east, south, and west
We weren't too picky, as long as there was a party

Now I sit on the aft deck on my final journey
And if you sit down with me, we'll chip in together
We can drown our sorrows, our sins, our longings
Because I was flagged out a long time ago in a foreign port
Flagged out a long time ago in a foreign port

I remember stand-by shifts in the bunk, just staring up below deck
And let a record by Hank Williams take me even further away
All the way to Maracaibo and a girl I left behind
I should have stopped there, but I think I lacked courage
I'm an old wolf who no longer has a pack
After forty years on the leash, my knees had enough
But I don't hang my head; I don't hang my head and cry
There are many here in the town who are sadder than me

Now I sit on the aft deck on my final journey
And if you sit down with me, we'll chip in together
We can drown our sorrows, our sins, our longings
Because I was flagged out a long time ago in a foreign port
Flagged out a long time ago in a foreign port.