Strawbs - Down By The Sea lyrics

Cousins Maybe you think, a lot like me Of those who live beside the sea Who feel so free, so I surmise With their comfortable* homes and wives Who end up drinking tea together In the afternoon of their lives. They build their homes upon the seashore The quicksand castles of their dreams Yet take no notice of the North wind Which tears their buildings at the seams. In their dismay and blind confusion The weeping widows clutch their shawls While as the sea mist ever deepens The sailors hear the sirens' calls. And in the maelstrom sea which follows The lifeboat sinks without a trace And yet there still remain survivors To bear the shame of their disgrace. Last night I lay in bed and held myself Trying to remember how it once was with you How your hands were softer. Yesterday I found myself staring into space Rather like the sailor in my own home surroundings I'm not sure I know me. If you were me, what would you do? Don't tell me I don't need you to It won't help me now. If you were me, what would you do? Don't tell me I don't need you to It won't help me now. * on some recordings they sing fashionable instead of comfortable (eg BBC live in concert)