Fool's Stiff Neck

Lyrics

[Verse 1] We set our course for the open bay With a tide so strong and a sky of gray She spoke of peace on the quiet shore I swore I needed the salt and roar She held my sleeve and she begged me stay I turned my back and I sailed away [Chorus] Oh, the anchor falls and the iron grips While the dark waves swallow the finest ships No storm could shatter this heart of oak 'Twas a fool's stiff neck and the words I spoke Now the wind blows cold and the coast is gone And the stubborn sailor stands alone [Verse 2] Her letters came to the harbor town Before the winter had settled down She wrote of hearths and a candle's light I chose the wind in the bitter night I claimed a rover must keep his ground Now the harbor sleeps and there's none around [Chorus] Oh, the anchor falls and the iron grips While the dark waves swallow the finest ships No storm could shatter this heart of oak 'Twas a fool's stiff neck and the words I spoke Now the wind blows cold and the coast is gone And the stubborn sailor stands alone [Bridge] A prideful heart is a heavy chain It weighs you down in the driving rain I kept my ground, but I lost the prize With the open sea in a dead man's eyes [Chorus] Oh, the anchor falls and the iron grips While the dark waves swallow the finest ships No storm could shatter this heart of oak 'Twas a fool's stiff neck and the words I spoke Now the wind blows cold and the coast is gone And the stubborn sailor stands alone [Outro] So heave, brave lads, though the ocean moans A stubborn heart leaves a man alone Heave away... Heave away... Standing alone on the salt-stained stone.