Like some nightbird homeward winging He seeks that shelteredness Like the sailor's lost horizon He needs some place to rest The songs that he's been singing No longer make much sense And those strangers' cold perceptions They've killed his confidence Nightingale She sails away upon a sea of song Nightingale She serenades his lonely, lonely life along When his tired voice is broken His golden hope is gone She makes a loss so simple-longing somehow not so wrong Nightingale He was strong but he was taken By the thought of his success Those spotlight shadows how they lured him And took him like all the rest But that old dream don't look good now No it don't seem quite the same He needs to hear a tender word Won't you sing him home again Nightingale She sails away upon a sea of songs Nightingale She serenades his lonely, lonely life along When his strength is slowly going His pride is all but gone She makes a foolish dreamer listen To one last song Nightingale Sing sweet nightingale