The man that you knew, love, is gone So long, so long! The wind came and blew him to sea Let him be, let it be He had no roots in the ground Just his boots wet and brown With the mud of this old place Singin' mad songs at the sun To a little boy's drum Hear it beat in his heart Hear how the words leave his lips They dissolve there like mist Pulled apart in the wind Tears welled up, true, in his eyes Though he was not surprised When the time came to go, no Send him your love if you wish Cause you know it is missed He cries out in the night, "Beat in my heart, do the trick As when you were the stick, And my soul was the skin! Beat in my heart do the trick, Like when you were the stick And my soul was the skin!" Oh, my darlin' My soul aches for that love to strike So I can return And stay there as long as I like The man that you knew, love, is gone So long, so long The wind came and blew him to sea Let him be, let it be