Mission to SeafarersNorth Tees and Hartlepool
The Seafarers’ Song
Original orchestral-soul version
A song about life at sea and the friendship, practical support and welcome offered through Mission to Seafarers centres.
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Lyrics
The lyrics follow the recorded performance. Play in G minor using standard tuning.
Gm Eb Bb FBefore the daylight finds the quay,
We slip our lines and face the sea.
The harbour folds into the rain;
Another ocean watch begins.
Gm Eb Bb FThe engine’s pulse, the gulls behind,
The ones we love stay close in mind.
And every mile our wake has drawn
Leads farther from the light of home.
Eb Bb F GmThrough every change of wind and tide,
We keep their voices close inside,
And trust that somewhere, when we land,
A welcome waits, an open hand.
Bb F Gm EbLeave a light on in the harbour,
Keep a welcome by the shore.
At the Mission to Seafarers,
There is friendship at the door.
Bb F Eb FWhen the miles lie dark behind us,
When the night has felt too long,
There are hands to help and hearts that care—
A place where we belong.
Gm Eb Bb FThe winter seas come hard and high,
Cold spray is driven through the night.
The decks run black, the cables strain;
We work through darkness, wind and rain.
Gm Eb Bb FFrom many countries, side by side,
We share the watch, the work, the tide.
Though different words and flags we bear,
The life we live is one we share.
Eb Bb F GmWhen days at sea seem twice as long,
We lend each other hope and strength,
For every seafarer understands
The ache of home and distant lands.
Bb F Gm EbLeave a light on in the harbour,
Keep a welcome by the shore.
At the Mission to Seafarers,
There is friendship at the door.
Bb F Eb FWhen the miles lie dark behind us,
When the night has felt too long,
There are hands to help and hearts that care—
A place where we belong.
Eb Bb F GmThe world you touch has crossed the sea—
Its food, its medicine and steel—
And every ship beyond the lights
Holds hearts that hope and hurt and feel.
Eb Bb Cm DFor every cargo brought to land,
For every storm they journey through,
Let every port return the gift:
A welcome, honest, warm and true.
Bb F Gm EbLeave a light on in the harbour,
Keep a welcome by the shore.
At the Mission to Seafarers,
There is friendship at the door.
Bb F Eb GmWhen the miles lie dark behind us,
When the night has felt too long,
There are hands to help and hearts that care—
A place where we belong.