It's only when the high winds that I wish my hair was long Sailing through the autumn leaves singin' an ancient Or falling in in the streets at night at the edge of a local square It's only I'm here tonight thinkin' I was there
There's high winds on the tonight, my soul departs from me Striding Thalia's Ghost south on the murky sea And midnight's tapestry she fades, ragged and wild Searching down her ancestry in the costume of a child
So Gulf bring me flying fish, that shine in the crescent moon Show me the horizon the dawn will break anew And cool me here on this lonely pier, the heron are flying low Echo the songs my father knew in the of Mexico
I was young my eyes were wise, my father was good to me Instead of having a flock of sons he had two girls and me And if we'd used our Spanish names, the way they'd run Thalia, Margarita and Juanita, I'm the one
The screen door kept the Demons in as we moved from to town It's hard to be a in the States when your skin is brown And smoothed my worried brow, as I leaned on the kitchen door "Why do you carry the weight", she "Of the world and more"
Gulf winds bring me flying fish, that shine in the crescent Show me the horizon where the will break anew And cool me here on this lonely pier, where the heron are low Echo the songs my fathers in the towns of Mexico
My grandfathers were ministers and it on down the line My preached in his parents' church When he was ten and nine And dressed in parishioners' clothes and didn't believe in Hell Her daddy fought the DAR, if lived, I'd have known him well
said, "Go find a Sunday School", we must have tried them all I never from the silver plate, my sisters had more gall One preacher said, "Sing out loud and clear, the only life you've got And the next one said, "Be good on You've another life at the of God"
And Gulf winds me flying fish, that shine in the crescent moon Show me the where the dawn will break anew And cool me here on this lonely pier, where the heron are low Echo the my fathers knew in the towns of Mexico
My father down many a job just to give us something real It's hard to be a scientist in the when you've got ideals And Mama kept the budget book, and she kept the too fish from the man on Thursdays, fed all of us and strangers too
But time pass and so, alas, will most of what we know Though tonight my memory's eye is clear as the story's being And I'll play ball with the and sit with the child who's wrong Be still when the earth is silent and sing when my strength is
So Gulf bring me flying fish, that shine in the crescent moon Show me the horizon where the dawn will break And cool me here on lonely pier, where the heron are flying low Echo the songs my father knew in the towns of
Now Father's going to India, in the fall They tried to stay together but you can't do it all think about him if he goes, there's a little gray in his hair Though not much 'cause he's Mexican, they don't age, they prepare
And if he to India, I'll miss him most of all He'll see me in the mudlarks' face, hear me in the beggar's And Mama will home, I guess, and worry if she did wrong And I'll say a prayer for both of them and sing them my song
And Gulf winds bring me flying fish, that shine in the crescent me the horizon where the dawn will break anew And me here on this lonely pier, where the heron are flying low the songs my father knew in the towns of Mexico