False Echoes (Havana 1921)

The skies over Cuba turned pink with the light And the waterfront ritual began to ignite All the ships in the harbor were warmed by the sun 25th of November, 1921 On the old Chickamauga, the signal jacks flew And the message they spelled out caused a great ballyhoo Every ship in Havana then hoisted away All the pennants were a-flyin' on my dad's first birthday Enduring echoes call out from his past Time ain't for savin', no, time's not for that Chasing false echoes like a lost legionnaire He waltzes on memories while he fades like a flare Now his storybook childhood was not make-believe On the decks of a tall ship, he was taught to achieve Witnessed storms and starvation, natural wonders and force Oh, the life of a sailor steers a wanderin' course Enduring echoes call out from his past Time ain't for savin', no, time's not for that Chasing false echoes like a lost legionnaire He waltzes on memories while he fades like a flare Well, now life throws us curveballs we never can reach He gave up the ocean, but he lived by the beach Where he raised up his family, taught us all to survive Then the wind went away in 1995 Now the old Chickamauga has slipped by the waves She lies on the bottom of old Mobile Bay Where the ghosts of his father and his brother are near They protect him and tell him there's nothin' to fear 'Cause it's family tradition we take to the sea And it's a time in the future for Cameron and me Enduring echoes call out from his past Time ain't for saving, no, time's not for that Chasing false echoes like a lost legionnaire He waltzes on memories while he fades like a flare The skies over Cuba were warmed by the sun 25th of November 1921 Ramos, where is the hidden track? It's supposed to be in here somewhere It's - CD it must be with my keys Did I leave it in the car? Leave it in the plane? Where - where is it? Where is it? Steven's gonna kill me, I can't find it! Goddamn is the track here? Where is it? No, it's not in there Where is this hidden track? Wait, down in this box there is somewhere There it is I could be a rambler from the Seven Dials I don't pay taxes, 'cause I, I never file I don't do business that don't make me smile I love my aeroplane, 'cause she's got style I'm a treetop flyer Treetop flyer I'll fly any cargo that you can pay to run The bush league pilots, they just can't get the job done You've got to fly down the canyon, don't never see the sun There's no such thing as an easy run I'm a treetop flyer Treetop flyer I fly low, I'm in high demand Go 14 feet over the Rio Grande I blow the mesquite right up off the sand I'm seldom seen, 'specially when I land I'm a treetop flyer Born survivor Now people been askin' me, "Where'd you learn to fly that way?" Was over in Vietnam, chasin' the NVA The government taught me and they taught me right Stay down below the tree line and you'll be alright I'm a treetop flyer Born survivor So I'm comin' home, I'm runnin' low and fast Promised my woman this is gonna be my last I get the ship down, I tie her fast And then some old boy wakes up, and he says, "Hey, son, wanna make some fast cash? " I'm a treetop flyer Oh-oh Well, there's things I am and there's things I am not Yes, I'm a smuggler and I, I could get shot I ain't gonna die, I ain't going to get caught You see I'm a flying fool, and this aeroplane is hot I'm a treetop flyer Born survivor Workin' alone