Nantucket Sound
Cindy Kallet Lyrics
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We'll haul the sails down, haul 'em in for a while
One of these days, I'll have much more to say
When the harbor is empty and the wind's blowing' wild
When we sight the Chilmark downs, brave ones
We'll watch for the osprey come from fishing the Great Pond
One of these days, these lands will be wild
When we roam Katama Plains, brave boys
The sky will be night and the stars will hang low
I'll sing of the wars and I'll sing of their dead
Wondering what the ways are to ever have them end
When we round the Cape Pogue light, brave ones
We'll head her for home, find a place by the fire
When the snow's blowing 'round, I'll be walking these roads
Thinking that, without you, there's no warm place to lie
When we reach Nantucket Sound, brave boys
We'll gather our strengths, it's sometimes hard to get by
One of these days, I'll have much less to say
When the harbor is empty and the tears have run dry
Recorded on
Working on Wings to Fly
Folk-Legacy Records FSI-83
The song "Nantucket Sound" by Cindy Kallet is a reflection on the passage of time and the transience of life. The repeated refrain of "When we reach Nantucket Sound, brave boys" acts as a reminder that although we may think we have a lot to say or do, ultimately the world will continue on without us, with the harbor eventually being empty and the tears having run dry. The verse about roaming Katama Plains at night with the stars hanging low turns from a moment of peaceful reflection to thoughts of war and death, wondering if there will ever be an end to the violence. The image of finding a warm place by the fire on a snowy night, only to realize that it's not the same without someone who's no longer there, adds another layer of bittersweet nostalgia to the song.
Line by Line Meaning
When we reach Nantucket Sound, brave boys
When we finally arrive at Nantucket Sound, my companions and I will face bravery and determination in whatever lies ahead.
We'll haul the sails down, haul 'em in for a while
We will lower the sails and rest for a little while.
One of these days, I'll have much more to say
In the future, I will have more stories to share.
When the harbor is empty and the wind's blowing' wild
When the harbor is quiet and the wind is blowing fiercely.
When we sight the Chilmark downs, brave ones
When we see the Chilmark downs, we will remain brave.
We'll watch for the osprey come from fishing the Great Pond
We will observe the osprey flying back from fishing in the Great Pond.
One of these days, these lands will be wild
Someday in the future, the lands will be unrestricted and natural.
When we're all gone to ashes and the wars all are done
When we pass away and all the wars are over.
When we roam Katama Plains, brave boys
As we wander the Katama Plains, we will face it with valor and audacity.
The sky will be night and the stars will hang low
The night sky will be full of stars hanging so low.
I'll sing of the wars and I'll sing of their dead
I'll sing about the wars and also their dead soldiers.
Wondering what the ways are to ever have them end
I wonder what steps we must take to stop the wars from happening.
When we round the Cape Pogue light, brave ones
When we come around the Cape, we will do it courageously.
We'll head her for home, find a place by the fire
We'll go straight home, heading towards the warmth of the fire.
When the snow's blowing 'round, I'll be walking these roads
When the snow is falling heavily, I'll be trekking these roads.
Thinking that, without you, there's no warm place to lie
Realizing that without you, I'll have nowhere to lie warm.
When we reach Nantucket Sound, brave boys
When we get to Nantucket Sound, courage is imperative.
We'll gather our strengths, it's sometimes hard to get by
We'll gather our inner strength since at times it's tough to continue.
One of these days, I'll have much less to say
In a future, I'll have fewer stories to tell.
When the harbor is empty and the tears have run dry
Once the harbor has become silent and the tears stop flowing.
Contributed by Nathaniel C. Suggest a correction in the comments below.