verse 1
C G C G
I found an old letter caught under a stone
C G F G
By the sea in the lee of the cliffs, all alone
C Am Em F
Its pages were tattered from where it had blown
Dm C G C
To land from the hand of a sailor, unknown
F C G C
There by the coast of Sierra Leone
verse 2
G C G
"Dear Friend", it read, "I have missed you, you know
C G F G
When you walked and you talked with me so long ago
C Am Em F
I shoved you aside as I rushed to and fro
Dm C G C F C G C Am
Friend, my old friend, who never let go"
Em F C
Friend, my old friend, who looked out for me
F G
Through squalls and long hauls, while I sailed the sea
Am G C F
I need your watchful eye at the prow
C Am C
I know that you know, I’m kneeling here now
Interlude: C
verse 3
C G C G
My ship hugs the rocks, and the gale’s my back door
C G F G
Lashing and smashing and waging its war
C Am Em F
My crew man the lifeboat, please see them ashore
Dm C G C
All told, it won’t hold even one person more
F C G C
Here by Sierra Leone’s rocky floor
verse 4
G C G
Forgive my neglect, old friend, it was my loss
C G F G
I wait for my fate as the ship starts to toss
C Am Em F
I feel the cold waters, I see the dark moss
Dm C G C F C G C Am
Will I sail through this gale or to heaven on a cross?
Chorus
Em F C
Friend, my old friend, who looked out for me
F G
Through squalls and long hauls, while I sailed the sea
Am G C F
I’ll take the wheel if you’ll ride the bow
C Am C
You know that I know, you’re standing here now
Interlude
C
Verse 5
C G C G
As I stood on the rocks of Sierra Leone
C G F G
By the sea, the blue sea of Sierra Leone
C Am Em F
Close by the spot where the letter had blown
Dm C G C
And thought for naught of the sailor, unknown
F C G C
There by the coast of Sierra Leone
Verse 6
G C G
Then I saw old letters carved into the stone
C G F G
By the sea, the blue sea of Sierra Leone
C Am Em F
'Thank you, old Friend', just those words, alone
Dm C G C
Carved there like a prayer by a sailor, unknown
F C G C
Here on the coast of Sierra Leone
F C G C
Here by the hand of a sailor, unknown