"One Hundred Feet" lyrics

All the years of waiting for the boys to come back home
Hear the stories they could tell, and see how much they've grown
In the night I think about the lives they could have led
Cut short at the finish line, no more the earth to tread

One hundred feet from shore
We will hear their voice no more
Though I'd swear I heard them calling on the wind
One hundred feet from shore
In the waters evermore
Forever there, one hundred feet from shore

"Man the boats," I heard them cry, "the ship is going down."
Such a storm has rocked her bow, she's bound to run a-ground
Scramble down the towing lines, but many can't escape
Fighting for their lives again, so close to home they wait

One hundred feet from shore
We will hear their voice no more
Though I'd swear I heard them calling on the wind
One hundred feet from shore
In the waters evermore
Forever there, one hundred feet from shore

Many swam through freezing water, for all that they could stand
Sodden boots and winter coats grew heavy with the damp
Struggled on for precious life until it slipped from reach
Their souls arise to leave their bodies washed up on the beach

One hundred feet from shore
We will hear their voice no more
Though I'd swear I heard them calling on the wind
One hundred feet from shore
In the waters evermore
Forever there, one hundred feet from shore

Dodging bullets, loading shells and hauling heavy gear
The war it couldn't take them, but the sea holds nothing dear
A hundred years and more it's been, the sorrow lingers on
Families keep the memories of the ones they lost so young

One hundred feet from shore
We will hear their voice no more
Though I'd swear I heard them calling on the wind
One hundred feet from shore
In the waters evermore, all in the oceans roar
One hundred feet from shore

In the waters evermore
One hundred feet from shore