Tarpon Jim - Jim Morris

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.'»