A passing ship   I have found the open ocean   Give me no lip   The waves roll by as I pass on      A sunlit sea   On the first day of April   How fresh the wind   Will you miss me when I'm gone?      How many words   How many songs still unwritten?   How many ships   Of the line have come and gone?      In the good old days   May they never be forgotten   They had heavy wind   Or they had no wind at all      A passing ship   It is midnight on the ocean   Had a real long trip   I have been at sea all winter      When my ship came in   I was givin' up the ghost   I think I should be   Leavin' those passing ships alone      When the sea runs high   The sea runs wild and I'm unsteady   And I think of you   In the warmth of your home and family      When love is true   There is no truer occupation   And may this gale   Blow us to the ones we love      Another day, another ocean   Give me no lip   But stand aside as I pass on   A sunlit sea   On the last day in October      How fresh the wind   Will you miss me from now on?   I guess I should be   Leavin' passing ships alone