[VERSE] Come gather close and fill thy cup, Ye sailors, one and all, To hear an older tavern tale Oft whispered by the wall— Of pride Of wings All stitched by clever hands, And a lad who yearned to ride the winds Beyond the far-off lands. His father spoke in careful words, A weathered shipwrecked man: “Fly steady, lad,” the old man said, “Take heed of sea and land. “For that sun burns oh so hot, It singes cloth and bone, And when it’s done with all it claims The sea will make thee stone.” [CHORUS] Sing low, Sing slow, Let young hearts hear it told— The sky is wide for dreaming souls, But pride can blind like gold. [VERSE] The wind was kind, The sky was wide, Like canvas o’er the foam, And up he rose on feathered frame, Far from the nets of home. The gulls cried out like creaking masts, The clouds like fields of snow, And laughter from the daring boy Rang over waves below. But higher still his bright wings climbed Where blazing sunlight seared, And wax gave way to feathers loose While jagged rocks appeared. [CHORUS] Sing loud, Sing clear, Let reckless dreamers know— The higher that a young soul climbs, The harder it may go. [VERSE] His father cried into the wind, But wind heeds no man’s plea, And feathers drifted down like foam To kiss the hungry sea. So sailors chant in taverns warm When mugs are crowned with ale, Of wings once made and wings once lost, A salt-stained, sorrowed tale. [CHORUS] Raise cups, Raise song, Let every traveler hear— No hand may steal the crown of sun, Nor helm that burning sphere. [OUTRO CHORUS] Drink deep, My mates, And keep this warning near: The sky’s a fickle ocean wide— Let wisdom, not your pride, the steer.
