By David Allan Coe



Dedicated to the wife's of sailors everywhere and to the grandfather who never got to hear my stories and songs.



YOU KNOW, AS A CHILD, HE HEARD TELL OF THE SEVEN MILE BRIDGE



THAT CONNECTED ON MARATHON SHORE



YES, AND IT WAS THE GATEWAY KEY WEST HIS GRANDPA



HAD TOLD HIM TEN TIMES OR MORE.



THE STORIES OF SOME SAILORS CURSE ON THE BRIDGE



WHERE IT OPENS TO LET THE BOATS THROUGH



BUT THE NATIVES ALL LAUGH AT GRANDPAS OLD STORIES



AND SWEAR THAT IT JUST ISN'T TRUE







NOW MOST OF THEM SAIL ACROSS TO MIAMI



FROM THE EDGE OF THE BLUE WATER LINE



WITH CRAWFISH AND SNAPPERS TO SELL AT THE MARKET



FOR MONEY TO SPEND ON SOME WINE



THEY ALWAYS CROSS THROUGH AT THE SEVEN MILE BRIDGE



EXCEPT WHEN THE MOON COMES OUT FULL



THEY'RE NOT SUPERSTITIOUS THEY TELL YOU AS THEY ARE



REPEATING THAT OLD SEAMAN'S RULE







WATCH OUT FOR THOSE OUTLAWS AND PIRATES



LORD KNOWS THAT THEY'LL STEAL YOU BLIND



DON'T MESS AROUND WITH THOSE CUTTHROATS AND THIEVES



THEY'RE ROBBERS AND KILLERS OF TIME



AND THERE'S NOTHING WORSE THAN AN OLD SAILORS CURSE



ON THE SEVEN MILE BRIDGE WHERE YOU FIND



THEY'RE STEALING THE FUTURE AND MAKING BELIEVE



THE PAST IS STILL SOMEWHERE BEHIND



THE SEVEN MILE BRIDGE , THE SEVEN MILE BRIDGE







AND HE FOUND A WOMAN WHO'D COME HERE FROM CUBA



SHE GAVE HIM A SON AND A DREAM



THEY LIVED IN A CONCH HOUSE SOMEWHERE ON STOCK ISLAND



WITH THE SEVEN MILE BRIDGE IN BETWEEN



SHED SPENT HER NIGHTS ON THE WINDOW WALK WONDERING



IF HE'D SAFELY PULL THROUGH T