Track Insight / Lyrics
I hang on a rusted iron hook
A witness to every secret book
The salt air eats the metal and the stone
I watch the cobbled waterfront alone
Burn the whale oil, keep the fog at bay
Wait for the ships to find their winding way
Burn the whale oil, hold the golden spark
A lonely beacon cutting through the dark
The tide retreats to show the muddy floor
Old driftwood knocks against the harbor door
The sailors walk with boots of heavy leather
Holding tight against the winter weather
Burn the whale oil, keep the fog at bay
Wait for the ships to find their winding way
Burn the whale oil, hold the golden spark
A lonely beacon cutting through the dark
I see the oil spill on the wet grey street
The rhythm of the midnight city beat
The heavy mist descends in thick white sheets
While every alleyway and harbor meets
Glass jars and wicks and blackened soot
The heavy press of a soldier's boot
I flicker once then I flare up bright
Claiming the center of the coastal night
The copper bells ring out across the quay
Calling the cargo back from the open sea
The lanterns swing in a steady rhythmic line
Drinking the liquid gold of the salted brine
Burn the whale oil, keep the fog at bay
Wait for the ships to find their winding way
Burn the whale oil, hold the golden spark
A lonely beacon cutting through the dark
The morning brings a pale and silver haze
The city wakes from its nocturnal daze
I dim my flame as the sun begins to rise
Burning the last of the oil in my eyes
Burn the whale oil, keep the fog at bay
Wait for the ships to find their winding way
Burn the whale oil, hold the golden spark
A lonely beacon cutting through the dark
Low tide, salt air, gold light.
Just a spark in the night.
