Abandon Ship

I was there on the morning of the birth,
Waiting to catch the first breath,
And I have seen more than I would have chosen,
I was present at the first sign of the death.
Some would say you should have seen it coming,
The poison seas were tearing at the shore,
And our island home was invaded, not our own,
And we dug our trenches deeper, even more
Could I leave you, when I asked you,
Would you be dismayed?
Scrape you from my skin, pick another victim,
Could you take that straight?
No-one talked about the times that we had missed,
And the chances we'd ignored, because who cares?
We were young, it didn't matter, and we knew that on our side
We had time, we had everything to spare.

I would while away the seconds and the days,
Waiting for the phone to bring some news,
Read the papers, try to find my name in print,
Anything to keep myself amused.
Could I leave you, when I asked you,
Would you be dismayed?
Scrape you from my skin, pick another victim,
Could you take that straight?
Maybe I could find some daylight,
Maybe I could use you as a friend,
Maybe I could find some comfort,
A phrase that I could follow to the end
Could I leave you, when I asked you,
Would you be dismayed?
Scrape you from my skin, pick another victim,
Could you take that straight?