Sonny, don't go away, I am here all alone

And your daddy's a sailor who never comes home

And the nights are so long and the silence goes on

And I'm feelin' so tired, I'm not all that strong

Sonny lives on a farm in a wide open space

Kick off your sneakers and let go the race

And you can lay down your head by a sweet river bed

But Sonny always remembers what it was his mama said

Sonny, don't go away, I am here all alone

And your daddy's a sailor who never comes home

And the nights are so long and the silence goes on

And I'm feelin' so tired, I'm not all that strong

Sonny carries a load, though he's barely a man

There ain't much to do, yet he does what he can

He watches the sea from a room by the stairs

The waves keep on rollin', they've done that for years

Sonny, don't go away, I am here all alone

And your daddy's a sailor who never comes home

And the nights are so long and the silence goes on

And I'm feelin' so tired, I'm not all that strong

It's a hundred miles to town, Sonny's never been there

Yet he goes to the highway and stands there and stares

And the mail comes at four and the mailman is old

But he still keeps his dreams full of silver and gold

Sonny, don't go away, I am here all alone

And your daddy's a sailor who never comes home

And the nights are so long and the silence goes on

And I'm feelin' so tired, I'm not all that strong

Sonny's dreams can't be real, they're just stories he's read

They're just stars in his eyes, they're just dreams in his head

Still he longs in his mind for the wild world outside

And I know I can't hold him though I've tried

And I've tried, and I've tried

Sonny, don't go away, I am here all alone

And your daddy's a sailor who never comes home

And the nights are so long and the silence goes on

And I'm feelin' so tired, I'm not all that strong