The Wind and the Whales
Words and Music by Tom May


Pacific Northwest, I found myself a guest
On a sailboat of teakwood and twine
Amidst blue Puget Sound, Olympic mountains all around
Six friends and a cargo of wine
Seven days on the water
San Juan islands at night
a song as the sunset drew night
Those colors lingered on, from the dark until the dawn
And lit up the wide western sky

Chorus
And the wind and the whales, the wood and the sails
Grow pale in the late autumn light
But these tides take us gently, towards times not forgotten
Upon the water, the wind and the sky

Now the dinghy was small, and I thought that I would fall
In the water, as I slowly stepped in
But I made it OK, though I tipped and I swayed
Would have gotten wet, without the help of a friend
But those islands were as green as my eyes have ever seen
The trunks of the madrona trees all red
It was a time for wonder, a time to unwind
With the high tide to put me to bed

Chorus
And the wind and the whales, the wood and the sails
Grow pale in the late autumn light
But these tides take us gently, towards times not forgotten
Upon the water, the wind and the sky

the sound of the gulls, the waves against the hull
marked first light, upon Puget Sound
it was time to depart, leave behind part of my heart
travel back towards these cities and towns
but on these roads far away, I can still see those bays
and the islands they call the San Juans
and I close out my cares, dream that I’m there
with the salmon, the seal, and the setting Pacific sun

Chorus
And the wind and the whales, the wood and the sails
Grow pale in the late autumn light
But these tides take us gently, towards times not forgotten
Upon the water, the wind and the sky

©1990 Blue Vignette Publishing, ASCAP