My shell is cracked from bay wind bite
Iron spool turns through the night
Gull cry cuts the mist so thin
I trace the pier where you begin
Rusted hinge sings a tired song
Bay mud sucks the pilings strong
Lamp glass sweats with salt and grime
My tape records the turning time
Worn reel spins the tide so cold
Magnetic memory gets old
Pier edge frays where water bites
Dawn breaks sharp on magnetic nights
Storm glass cracked in eighty-nine
Still I hold the fault line true
Knot and splice hold fast the strand
Bay don't care for human plan
Worn reel spins the tide so cold
Magnetic memory gets old
Pier edge frays where water bites
Dawn breaks sharp on magnetic nights
No lamp to guide the tape back home
Just static hiss and white foam
Reel runs out, the leader snaps
History lost in sudden gaps
Wire hums the sequencer beat
Cold pulses push the dawn retreat
Baritone drops to falsetto high
Pier lights bleed across the sky
Last track hisses, leader gone
Salt wind writes the final song
No rewind, no second take
Pier stands firm for the wave's sake
Worn reel spins the tide so cold
Magnetic memory gets old
Pier edge frays where water bites
Dawn breaks sharp on magnetic nights
Tape runs out at dawn
Magnetic tide moves on
