Jim Morris Tarpon Jim
He works on the water and curses the wind
The years in the sun burned so deep in his skin
He's eighty, tired, a little restless, and waiting to die
And he speaks of the time when he caught that great prize
A tall southern beauty with the dark Creole eyes
Her family had money and an uptown address
Her parents said “No way,” but the lady said “yes.”
She said, “I'll be there till the light dies in your eyes
Yes, I'll be there till the light dies in your eyes.”
So, we sailed down to Honduras, but that dream didn't last
Chased the fish to Useppa, worked the Boca Grande Pass
Times were hard for fishing nomads, and we barely got by
After years in the fish camps I feared she would say
“Out of all of my choices, life turned out his way.”
But she said, “It'll work out. I have no regrets
You've shown me a life that I'll never forget.”
She said, “I'll be there till the light dies in your eyes
Yes, I'll be there till the light dies in your eyes.”
So we moved to the Keys; she got the home that she wished
From Key West to Flamingo, I owned those big fish
Times were good, we were happy, and the years quickly passed by
But that storm came so fast. Hell, I nearly drowned
The surge took the house. She never was found
And I searched for three weeks, never wanting to quit
I kept hearing those words that I'll never forget
She said, “I'll be there till the light dies in your eyes
Yes, I'll be there till the light dies in your eyes.”
So he said, “You know I've got fish to catch and stories to remember
I'd write me a book if I could stay alive that long
And I'll play my guitar and sing of her memory
Of the woman who loved me so well for so long
And Lord knows I'm thankful for the years that we had
But some days even that's not enough
She said it'll work out, but I'm not convinced
Cause she made me the man that I've never been since
She said, 'I'll be there till the light dies in your eyes
Yes, I'll be there till the light dies in your eyes
I'll be there till the light dies in your eyes.'”
