verse 1 In a dozen coastal towns, when the sun is going down The boats are tied and the fishing is all through For another shot-and-beer you'll likely get to hear Of the pilot boat they call the CAN DO Then lift your glass to the seasons as they pass To the men who sail the seas alone Say a prayer for the women waiting there For the men who never will come home verse 2 A blizzard from the North blew the tanker off her course And the GLOBAL HOPE was grounded on the sand There were forty men they said, then the radio went dead And no one knew they were just a mile from land Well the CAN DO heard the call, and their boat was very small They wondered how a tanker could get lost And like a single silent voice, they knew they had no choice But to find the GLOBAL HOPE at any cost verse 3 Well the snow made them blind and the seas could read their mind And the wind laughed at every turn they made 'Til a big one hit the side and flipped her like a dime And it drove her like a nail into the wave Then lift your glass to the seasons as they pass To the men who sail the seas alone Say a prayer for the women waiting there For the men who never will come home verse 4 There's a little boy who plays by the harbor every day And his mother cannot hide her tears for long For she knows salt water runs in the blood of sailors' sons And she knows there's no ending to this song Then lift your glass to the seasons as they pass To the men who sail the seas alone Say a prayer for the women waiting there For the men who never will come home Coda For they're cruising where it's warm and they'll never see the storm And they never, never will come home