Look at the mermaid, how her scales shine And every sailor as he passes her by Says "Oh how I wish that she were mine" Oh how they love her without knowing why The night watchman tells them of her song Which fills the night air with untold grief She sings out her heart all night long They are drawn to her in their sleep The mermaid combs her golden hair And admires her reflection in the water And all the sailors they stop and stare Mesmerized at a mere glimpse of her I know why they stare; for to them she is the sun She holds the beauty of something they can never have The priceless prize that can ne'er be won The impossible goal that will drive them mad I sit here, next to the mermaid and watch their eyes slide Past my form, and rest on her, on that beautiful face And there is nowhere for me to hide My ugly pallor; no way to take her place I am the moon, and when the sun is shining bright I am nothing; and they pass me by But after dusk she is forgotten, and out of sight As I sing of my sorrows to the diamond sky.
