The cobblestones are froze and gray
I rowed my boat the whole long day
The alley mouth is choked with snow
I tie the rope and let it go
You stand there where the lamplight bends
A wooden hull that never ends
The paint is peeled the boards are bare
I smell the salt still in the air
Winter keel hold fast tonight
The stone is cold the lamp is bright
Winter keel don't drift away
I'll row you home another day
The harbor froze in ninety-four
I lost my brother to the shore
The tide came up the alley wide
And left this boat with nothing inside
Winter keel hold fast tonight
The stone is cold the lamp is bright
Winter keel don't drift away
I'll row you home another day
The storm took everything I knew
But left this hull to pull me through
The ice may crack the wind may scream
I'll keep you tethered to this dream
You say the lamp has burned so low
I say the wick still has a glow
The alley's narrow but it's ours
We'll wait out winter's hardest hours
So let the frost bite at the seam
I'll bail you out and keep you clean
The cobblestones can keep their chill
I'll row you yet I know I will
Winter keel hold fast tonight
The stone is cold the lamp is bright
Winter keel don't drift away
I'll row you home another day
Cold wind off the harbor wall
We'll rise above the frozen squall
Winter keel hold fast tonight
