God Save the Watchman

My father came on his ship to this land
My mother watched with her feet in the sand
That first handshake was a promise they could make
The life of a child they would not forsake
So it was here I was born, in this fragile ecotone
Between two worlds beneath a flag that was flown
They all rejoiced at the sound of my voice
The cry of a child that would know the throne of choice

Chorus:
God save the watchman, you know I’ve done what I can
Even I have given in to this era of man
I’m not here to scorn, it’s my post just to warn
God save the watchman when it starts to storm

I played on the beach and I danced in with the waves
Chasing the tides under my mother’s loving gaze
Dug my feet in the ground, felt the water swirling round
Voices from the past off the salty sea did sound
Standing aloft in his city on a hill
My father looked to a land that he would fill
With barns and bells, a whole new story to tell
That forgot we had come from the heart of ocean swells

Chorus

Now I live all alone in my lighthouse by the sea
Of my mother, my father, all I have are memories
And the city people say what they will about my ways
I stay close to the sea until the storm comes off the bay

Chorus

Oh, even I have given in to this era of man
I’m not here to scorn, it’s my post just to warn
God save the watchman, God save the watchman
God save the watchman when it starts to storm