Wooden ribs ache on crushed stone bed
Paint peels white where the gravel's spread
No water here just dust and oil
Hunting deep for absent soil
Planks complain with every shift
Splinters catch on winter's drift
Keel in the gravel grinding slow
Twilight paints the shadows low
Oars are useless stuck in place
Steel toes kick my wooden face
Rudder scrapes on broken glass
Twilight comes and goes too fast
Coffee stains on the gunwale rim
Regulars laugh the light grows dim
Fry cook watches from the door
Wonders what I'm searching for
Grease-stained apron folded arms
No alarm clocks no alarms
Keel in the gravel grinding slow
Twilight paints the shadows low
Oars are useless stuck in place
Steel toes kick my wooden face
Rudder scrapes on broken glass
Twilight comes and goes too fast
Propane hiss and bacon grease
Smell beats out the river breeze
No current pulls no tide to turn
Just driveway grit where boundaries burn
Tire tracks like channels cut
Deep enough to trap my gut
Keel in the gravel grinding slow
Twilight paints the shadows low
Oars are useless stuck in place
Steel toes kick my wooden face
Rudder scrapes on broken glass
Twilight comes and goes too fast
Hubcaps gleam like buoys at night
Chrome reflects the waning light
Anchor's just a cinder block
Resting by the cellar lock
Bilge pump clogged with cigarette butts
Fishing lures and highway nuts
Keel in the gravel grinding slow
Twilight paints the shadows low
Oars are useless stuck in place
Steel toes kick my wooden face
Rudder scrapes on broken glass
Twilight comes and goes too fast
Keel in the gravel grinding slow
Twilight paints the shadows low
Stern light blinks a diesel glow
Morning comes I'll still not go