In It, Not Of It

I woke up on the water with no memory of the shoreDidn't choose the storm I'm in, and I don't recall no moreBut I wasn't dropped here by accident, I wasn't left to driftI was launched out on this water to be proved and to be built

My grandfather said it best, and I've carried it for years"A boat belongs upon the sea, that's what she's built to doBut the day the sea gets in the boat, that's the day she's through"

I'm in it, not of itSailin' water that I can't drinkI'm in it, not of itLet it hold me up, don't let me sinkThe tide don't get to tell me who I amI've got a harbor and a heading and a handI'm in it, not of itAnd I'm rowin' for the other side

Now it don't come in like a breaker, it don't come in like a floodIt's a hairline in the timber where you swore the seal was goodOne hour, then an evenin', then you're bailin' every dayAnd you never felt the moment that the water got its way

I lay aside the things of this world and I seek a better oneAnd I check my seams on Sunday and I check 'em on my knees'Cause the compass only points for the man who heeds

He never asked the Father take us outHe asked Him keep us from the evil round aboutHe sent us out among the waves to learnTo do His will, to serve Him, and to turn'Cause a boat that's never wet ain't worth the woodShe was built to reach the men no harbor could

I'm in it, not of itAnd I'm pullin' hard for the ones gone downI'm in it, not of itAin't a one of 'em too far to bring aroundSo throw your arm across this rail and climbThere's room in here for you and room for mineWe're in it, not of itAnd the harbor lights are up aheadWe're rowin' home

The sea ain't never got insideThe hull is holdin' trueThere's a harbor up ahead of usAnd we're rowin' home to You

In It, Not Of It

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