Out of the mists of time they came topsails flying high Like phantoms of the past they flew on billowed wings of white fresh as the winds of morning, light as the ocean spray. A wonder to behold they were as they sailed upon their way.
Chorus: Windjammer, sloop and ketch, brigantine and yawl, from far off corners of the world they left their ports of call great and noble ladies true sirens of the sea they brought their nation's blessings to the land of liberty
And those of us who lined the shores that morning in July, and watched in silent wonder as the ships passed slowly by, could hear them calling to us from beyond the winds of time and feel the rolling of the decks and taste the salty brine.
Chorus
One day they'll tell the story of a day that's long gone by When the Tall Ships came a-sailin' with their masts up to the sky And the lives of we that saw them will never be the same And the world will all remember The Day The Tall Ships Came.