The harbors and ships, where you let your heart slip
And the tea-stained pages full of scrawls
I wonder, I wonder
At the skies we live under
At the waves by the old sea wall
I've counted those waves
I've walked in those lanes
I've heard the old city's call
A prayer, dear prayer, saying "God, are you there?"
Counting waves at the old sea wall
They say "count forty waves, and you'l wash clean your days
Transgressions, failures, and all"
But if that's all it takes to lose your mistakes
Every step is as good as a fall
I've seen brave youth climb high above dusk
And stand in the half-lights so tall
And I've watched them go to the waters below
To the waves of the old sea wall
And the allies still ring with the footsteps of a king
A thousand lost voices enthrall
Like moths to a flame
Like floods from the plains
Crossing oceans and deserts made small
I've read those books
I've told those tales
And I've heard my own name recalled
And I've understood the best that I could
Counting waves at the old sea wall
I have understood the best that I could
Counting waves at the old sea wall
I have understood the best that I could
Counting waves at the old sea wall