[Verse 1 - low male vocal, sparse Nordic folk] North wind rising off the blackened sea, Cold iron humming underneath our feet. We left the harbor before the morning came, With frost on the ropes and salt upon our names. No one promised we'd return unchanged, No one asked the ocean who to blame. We passed the bottle as the dark rolled on, And drank a little rum before the dawn. [Pre-Chorus - restrained sailor harmonies] Hold the line, boys, Keep her facing north. The sky may break above us, Still we carry forth. [Chorus - broad male chorus, steady and solemn] Raise a glass for the gone, For the hands that held the mast. For the voices in the storm Now carried by the past. Raise a glass for the gone, Let the cold sea have its due. If I reach another harbor, I'll still leave a place for you. [Verse 2 - warmer lead, deeper low strings] Some found homes beneath a southern sun, Some were gone before their years were done. Somewhere between the ice and endless grey, I learned how quietly a man can fade away. I still remember every weathered face, Every curse we hurled into the waves. Now the deck feels wide, the nights run long, And fewer voices answer to the song. [Pre-Chorus - stronger crew response] Hold the line, boys, Keep her through the foam. Every mile behind us Was the closest thing to home. [Chorus - fuller harmony, heavier drums] Raise a glass for the gone, For the hands that held the mast. For the voices in the storm Now carried by the past. Raise a glass for the gone, Let the cold sea have its due. If I reach another harbor, I'll still leave a place for you. [Bridge - instruments fall back, lone voice] Tonight the water lies as still as stone. No moon above, no lighthouse calling home. I pour one measure, set it by the rail— A little rum for every missing sail. No prayer, no cross, No promise to return. Only names beneath my ribs And one small lantern burning. [Final Chorus - full crew choir, solemn climax] Raise a glass for the gone, For the brothers of the tide. For the ones who faced the northern dark And never reached the other side. Raise a glass for the gone, Let the winter take this song. The sea has taken nearly everything, But still I sail along. Raise a glass for the gone, One for them and one for me. When my final harbor finds me, Leave the last one by the sea. [Outro - lone low voice, distant crew hum] For the gone. For the sea. One last glass— Remember me.
