The Blue Ribbon

Lyrics

[Intro] [Verse 1] She kept a blue ribbon tied around her wrist Bought from a stall beside the harbor mist He wrote her name on the back of a train ticket Promised the world, though he never could give it [Chorus] Hold me close while the summer is turning Kiss me once though the old bridge is burning If tomorrow takes you far from my door I will love you as I loved you before [Spoken Interlude — Italian male voice] Lei si chiamava Clara. Lui veniva dal sud, con una valigia piccola e grandi promesse. Si incontrarono ogni domenica davanti alla stazione, come se il destino avesse dato loro un appuntamento. [Verse 2] She wore white shoes on the evening they met He had a scar he refused to forget Music spilled from the ballroom windows They danced through the rain where the river bends low [Chorus] Hold me close while the summer is turning Kiss me once though the old bridge is burning If tomorrow takes you far from my door I will love you as I loved you before [Bridge] Then came the letter with no return sign A border, a quarrel, a dangerous night She ran to the crossing with tears in her eyes But the last train was leaving beneath autumn skies [Spoken Interlude — Italian male voice] Quella notte, nessuno seppe tutta la verità. Un colpo nel buio. Un corpo sul binario. E Clara, con il nastro blu ancora al polso, aspettò fino all'alba. [Verse 3] They found his coat by the river stone wall A silver key and a photograph small She kept the key in a box by her bed And spoke to his picture long after he was dead [Final Chorus] Hold me close though the summer is ended Say my name like the promise we mended If tomorrow takes you far from my door I will love you as I loved you before [Outro] The blue ribbon faded, the harbor grew still Her window stayed open above the hill And every Sunday when the last bells rang She heard his footsteps, but he never came