It's only when the high winds blow that I 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 that I'm here tonight thinkin' I was there
There's winds on the pier tonight, my soul departs from me Striding like Thalia's Ghost south on the sea And into midnight's tapestry she fades, and wild down her ancestry in the costume of a Persian child
So Gulf winds bring me flying fish, shine in the crescent moon Show me the horizon where the dawn will anew And me here on this lonely pier, where the heron are flying low the songs my father knew in the towns of Mexico
When I was my eyes were wise, my father was good to me Instead of a flock of sons he had two other girls and me And if we'd used our Spanish names, the way they'd run Thalia, and Juanita, I'm the middle one
The screen door kept the Demons in as we moved from to town It's hard to be a princess in the States when skin is brown And smoothed my worried brow, as I leaned on the kitchen door "Why do you the weight", she said "Of the and maybe more"
Gulf winds bring me flying fish, that shine in the moon Show me the horizon where the dawn will break And cool me here on this lonely pier, where the are flying low the songs my fathers knew in the towns of Mexico
My grandfathers were and it came on down the line My Father in his parents' church When he was ten and nine And Mama dressed in parishioners' and didn't believe in Hell Her daddy the DAR, if he'd lived, I'd have known him well
They said, "Go find a School", we must have tried them all I never stole from the silver plate, my sisters had more One preacher said, "Sing out loud and clear, it's the life you've got And the one said, "Be good on earth You've life at the feet of God"
And Gulf winds bring me flying fish, that shine in the moon Show me the horizon where the will break anew And cool me here on this pier, where the heron are flying low Echo the songs my fathers knew in the of Mexico
My father turned down 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 will pass and so, alas, will most of what we know Though tonight my memory's eye is clear as the story's being And play ball with the underdog and sit with the child who's wrong Be still when the earth is silent and sing when my strength is
So Gulf winds bring me fish, that shine in the crescent moon Show me the horizon where the dawn will break And me here on this lonely pier, where the heron are flying low Echo the songs my father knew in the of Mexico
Now Father's to India, sometime in the fall They to stay together but you just can't do it all I'll think about him if he goes, there's a gray in his hair Though not much 'cause he's Mexican, they age, they just prepare
And if he goes to India, I'll miss him of all He'll see me in the mudlarks' face, hear me in the beggar's And Mama will stay home, I guess, and worry if she did And I'll say a for both of them and sing them both my song
And winds bring me flying fish, that shine in the crescent moon Show me the horizon where the dawn will break And cool me here on this lonely pier, where the heron are low Echo the songs my knew in the towns of Mexico