I know the distance it takes
to sail around the world
I've done it many times
on seas of Van Gogh green
And every night with certainty
the stars descend around the hull like fireflies
It's no surprise I'm here tonight
Holding out hope for a change in the tide
Painted windows on the skyline
Sail me off this empty island
I'll be home before you know it
I'll be home before you know I'm gone
I know the secret waves
that lap around the world
The mermaids sing of them
as they brush their hair with coral
Where every lighthouse sends a beam
like Roman columns to a city down below
And this I know: to plunge down and breathe
Is more than possible if you believe
Painted windows on the skyline
Sail me off this empty island
I'll be home before you know it
I'll be home before you know I'm gone
La la la la (8x)
I know the distance it takes
to sail around the world
I've done it many times
behind my knotted desk
In quiet service to the stories I collect
Until it's time to close and go home for the night
Without the pirates
Without the sirens
Without the love notes in bottles at sea
Waiting for someone
Waiting for someone like me
Painted windows on the skyline
Sail me off this empty island
I'll be home before you know it
I'll be home before you know I'm gone
Painted windows on the skyline
Sail me off this empty island
I'll be home before you know it
I'll be home before you know I'm gone
