Not the Leaving

Go and gather up your things for the long ride Don't ask me, "Where are we going?" It'll take time And the flowers, oh, the flowers will be buried under snow when the cold winds blow But the lake changes quicker than you know At the seaside wading in the low tide in the shallows In the wintertime, stars in the western sky flicker and fade out But the water, oh, the water is shaking at the breeze from the high, high seas And the lake changes are bitter to my knees Then I'll wade down I'm weighed down with family photographs and relics I've found in a back room I'll be back soon I won't sink, I'll swim I'll be back soon You and I, let's build a bonfire in the sand dunes And sit a while, cheek-to-cheek And I'll be humming your favorite tune It's not the leaving that's grieving me It's the thought of you alone making my heart moan And when the lake changes, down the road I go Then I'll wade down I'm weighed down with family photographs and relics I've found in a back room I'll be back soon I won't sink, I'll swim Then, I'll wade down I'm weighed down with family photographs and relics I've found in a back room I'll be back soon I won't sink or swim I'll be back soon Go and gather up your things for the long ride