Not the Leaving

Go and gather up your things for the long ride
 Don't ask me, "Where are we going?"
 It'll take time
 And the flowers, oh, the flowers will be buried under snow when the cold winds blow
 But the lake changes quicker than you know
 At the seaside wading in the low tide in the shallows
 In the wintertime, stars in the western sky flicker and fade out
 But the water, oh, the water is shaking at the breeze from the high, high seas
 And the lake changes are bitter to my knees
 Then I'll wade down
 I'm weighed down with family photographs and relics I've found in a back room
 I'll be back soon
 I won't sink, I'll swim
 I'll be back soon
 You and I, let's build a bonfire in the sand dunes
 And sit a while, cheek-to-cheek
 And I'll be humming your favorite tune
 It's not the leaving that's grieving me
 It's the thought of you alone making my heart moan
 And when the lake changes, down the road I go
 Then I'll wade down
 I'm weighed down with family photographs and relics I've found in a back room
 I'll be back soon
 I won't sink, I'll swim
 Then, I'll wade down
 I'm weighed down with family photographs and relics I've found in a back room
 I'll be back soon
 I won't sink or swim
 I'll be back soon
 Go and gather up your things for the long ride