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

Writer : MARK KNOPFLER
Copyright : Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group