Sail Away, Old Friend

I watched a lonely bird of passage
Fly across the evening sky,
And all at once I felt such sadness
I had to struggle not to cry.
You are leaving; you are leaving;
I’ll never know the reason why,
But the best and brightest of us
Had to be the first to say goodbye.

Sail away, old friend,
Sail away, old friend,
Sail away, but I keep thinking
One fine day we all will meet again.

And all the memories keep repeating
As I watch the shadows grow –
The twist of fate that had us meeting
All those many years ago.
Now you’re leaving; you are leaving
And it’s a hard and bitter blow
That the best and brightest of us
Had to be the first of us to go.

Sail away, old friend,
Sail away, old friend,
Sail away, but I’ll keep thinking
One fine day we all will meet again.