single post
Words © April Grant 2021
Tune trad. (“Won’t You Go My Way?”), with extras by April.
1.
Drinking vodka by the fire, won’t you sail away?
With the woman I desire, won’t you sail away?
“All my friends and kin, if they saw us here,
They would turn us in, and we would disappear.”
(chorus)
Oh, Elena, sail the world around!
Our home is on the ocean, we’re Vancouver bound.
2.
We were rich girls on the shore, won’t you sail away?
Never owned a boat before, won’t you sail away?
From the Golden Horn bound south, and on a long, long tack,
We sailed out the harbor mouth; we did not go back.
(chorus)
3.
Dodging tankers off of Greece, won’t you sail away?
Past Gibraltar there’s no peace, won’t you sail away?
Meg did not know fear: we’ve survived today,
We have water for a year – Atlantic south away.
(chorus)
4.
We could hardly leave the deck, won’t you sail away?
Salty trickle down my neck, won’t you sail away?
We were grimly sailing still, until a bright blue day,
Off the coast of sweet Brazil, the bows a rainbow spray.
(chorus)
5.
Panama: they wished us well, won’t you sail away?
So we waved and rang the bell, won’t you sail away?
From the last lock free, Pacific floating down,
“We’re sailing on the sea that has touched your town.”
(chorus)
6.
Winter wind we should expect, won’t you sail away?
Out to sea or we’ll be wrecked, won’t you sail away?
“Oh, I see a foggy light, there’ll be rocks and sand.”
“That’s Vancouver in the night, and we can sleep on land.”
(chorus)
7.
We are women of the sea, won’t you sail away?
Life is hard but life is free, won’t you sail away?
And how can I explain this new bond we share?
We are sailing on the main, and our home is there.
(chorus)
Notes:
Based on the story of Elena and Meg, reported here in the Advocate.