we’re taking on water
diesel and stores
laying up awhile
before i’m back on board
they’re patching her up
to go fishing again
they’re welding her rudder
scrubbing her keel
scars on her belly
need time to heal
in the dock
with the trawlermen

i know all the people
there’s nobody new
soon we’ll be leaving
with the same old crew
on the green water
the tumbling sea
they ain’t running
like the good old days
time’s just slipping
down the old slipways
in the dock
so dear to me

dark is the night
i need a guiding light
to keep me
from foundering
on the rocks
my only prayer
is just to see you there
at the end
of my wandering
back in the dock

i could use a layoff
getting my strength back
but there’s a loan to pay off
and a few skipjack
so it’s a turnaround
back in the southerly wind
pirates coming in
to steal our gold
you can count yourself lucky
with a profit in the hold
in the dock
when we come in

dark is the night
i need a guiding light
to keep me
from foundering
on the rocks
my only prayer
is just to see you there
at the end
of my wandering
back in the dock

• Mark Knopfler bio
• Mark Knopfler discography