For young and old
Are all alive
On that next beat

On which we ride

And that beat is such
A fragile thing
In both old men
Or youthful king

And that beat

Stands all alone you see

Between us

And black eternity

And though death is surely

Each man's fate
Until that time

Let each man wait

So be careful as you go through life
What you romanticize
I find such things are rarely true
And far more rarely wise

The sailor then listened carefully
And every thought was filed
And though he was still not quite convinced
He agreed to wait awhile

And meanwhile further down the beach
There stood a younger man
And he too felt the sand of time
Was running through his hands

But this youth felt they ran too fast
As he stood near a rusting dock
And heard the waves marking time
Like some relentless clock

He felt his future was not here
Of this he had no doubt

And even though he was eighteen
His time was running out