When at night I draw the curtain, and look out upon the sea,
I watch the yellow lighthouse lamp, flash out “One, two and three”;
Calling, “Here are reefs to wreck you!” and “Good sailorman, take care!
An island here with rocky shores, beware, seafolk, beware!
’Tis I, the lonely lighthouse lamp, that calls you on the deep.
I glow when fog is thick and cold, when daylight is asleep.
Watch close! Ride sure! Take heart again! Keep safely out to sea!
I send my warning out to you, my friendly warning out to you,
I flash, ‘One, two and three!’”
When morning comes to wake me, and I look across the bay,
The lighthouse lamp is fast asleep, all in the light of day.
The tall, white tower is holding it. It keeps it safely high.
The gray gulls circle round it, and “We bring you dreams!” they cry.
“Dreams of the high, white stars at night, dreams of the rocking sea,
Dreams of the ships that listen when you call, ‘One, two and three!’
And more than all of these again, are dreams to fill your sleep,
Of the homes of sailormen, the waiting homes of sailormen,
Whose happiness you keep.”
