[Intro: Rhodes, soft guitar] Cleat on the dock with a shine from the salt and sun I check it every morning like the season is not done [Verse 1] June comes in soft with a trailer and a cooler full of ice Same blue hull nosing in like it already knows the price Dad tosses me the line and the kids yell from the bow I wrap the rope in figure eights the way he showed me how Every summer for a decade I was part of their routine Like the bait shop and the gulls and the diesel smell of green They tipped me like a cousin and they asked about my school I said I was still figuring it out and that felt cool [Pre-Chorus] Tide goes out and the dock boards tick I pretend I do not notice when the years get quick [Chorus] Harbor cleat, harbor cleat Holding what they leave Harbor cleat, harbor cleat Proof that they believe This slip is still their summer even when they stay away I check the iron morning like I did on opening day Harbor cleat, harbor cleat Salt and a tight wrap Harbor cleat, harbor cleat Calendar in my lap July used to mean their voices bouncing off the bay Now July means quiet and the hope they might still stay [Verse 2] Last year the dad came alone with a list and a tired grin Said the kids got jobs and a city that does not let them in We tied the boat in silence and he offered me a beer Talked about a wedding and a baby due next year I said tell them slip fourteen still knows their names by heart He laughed like a man who feels the distance as a smart Then he left the cooler and a note that said thanks kid I kept the note under the register the way soft people did [Pre-Chorus] Tide comes in and the gulls get loud I keep the cleat ready for a missing crowd [Chorus] Harbor cleat, harbor cleat Holding what they leave Harbor cleat, harbor cleat Proof that they believe This slip is still their summer even when they stay away I check the iron morning like I did on opening day Harbor cleat, harbor cleat Salt and a tight wrap Harbor cleat, harbor cleat Calendar in my lap July used to mean their voices bouncing off the bay Now July means quiet and the hope they might still stay [Bridge: guitar and Rhodes only] I am not their family and I know that is the truth Still I grease the cleat for a boat that raised my youth Friendship is a slip you keep open for a while Even when the calendar forgets how to smile [Final Chorus] Harbor cleat, harbor cleat Holding what they leave Harbor cleat, harbor cleat Proof that they believe This slip is still their summer even when they stay away I check the iron morning like I did on opening day Harbor cleat, harbor cleat Salt and a tight wrap Harbor cleat, harbor cleat Calendar in my lap If they ever come back I will throw the line the same And pretend the years between us never learned their name [Outro: Rhodes fade] Cleat on the dock with a shine from the salt and sun I check it every morning like the season is not done
