Ladies Of The Line
Words and Music by Tom Chapin

Think of a sunlit harbor
At the end of a burn-out day
On a broken wharf an old man sits
And watches the ships come in

They are ladies of the line
And they know once again
It's time for change
And seasons end and then begin again

Rusty from the passage
Christened in foreign seas
Carrying unknown languages
And possibilities

Tonight they'll dock near the navy yard
And be stripped by the union tree
But for now they are ladies of the line
All promise and mystery

They are ladies of the line
And they know once again
It's time for change
And seasons end and then begin again

Though his eyes are dim he remembers when
His hands were on the wheel
And the girls he knew and the flags he flew
When his life was real

And when the sun has set and the lights come on
And the last of the big ones pass
He gathers his line, his coat and shoes
Wanderin' home at last

They are ladies of the line
And they know once again
It's time for change
And seasons end and then begin again