(Tom T. Hall)

Ships go out I see them every day
Ships go out I watch them sail away
And on the decks I see my smiling friends
Ships go out but they never do come in.

--- Instrumental ---

Ships go out I watch them disappear
Ships go out and leave me standing here
And I don't know if that's where life begins
Ships go out but they never do come in.

When life is cheap it never seems to last
When life is sweet it seems to go too fast
So on the dock I tell the idle wind
Ships go out but they never do come in.

--- Instrumental ---

Ships go out onto the seas so high
Ships go out beneath an endless sky
And on the shore is where their stories end
Ships go out but they never do come in.

When life is cheap it never seems to last
When life is sweet it seems to go too fast
So on the dock I tell the idle wind
Ships go out but they never do come in.

Ships go out...