A song of sadness, leaving, longing and hope.
Hi...I do a lot of different types of stuff. It's all just for fun and I hope y'all have fun with it as well.
Story behind the song
While gigging with a band called The Tomatoes, we were at a beachfront hotel in Gulf Shores, AL. I had a desire to play guitar, so I picked up Hank Becker's Guild jumbo acoustic and stepped out on the balcony. As I sat down, I saw a girl standing on the beach looking out over the water. The wind was blowing her long dark hair and her flowing dress, but she was standing as still as a statue. I played a kinda dark chord, and was instantly taken to another place and time where she was bidding farewell to the love of her life as he sailed away on a Spanish galleon. Though she had seen him leave many times before, somehow she knew that he wouldn't return from this voyage. I felt her sadness and resignation, and her loving hope that someday they would meet again. And with the help of that beautiful guitar, a pen and my notebook Sail Away was born.
This version was recorded on my 4-track cassette recorder in 1981, shortly after it was written. Though it was really just a "scratchpad" version, it captured the moment's mood and I like it. I've just started working on an updated version, and I'm enjoying revisiting one of my favorite original songs. I'll post it here when it's ready.
