all the diamonds (beautiful poem-song!)

all the diamonds, circa 1974

all the diamonds in this world
that mean anything to me
are conjured up by wind and sunlight
sparkling on the sea

i ran aground in a harbour town
lost the taste for being free
thank God he sent some gull-chased ship
to carry me to sea

two-thousand years and half a world away
dying trees still grow greener when you pray

silver scales flash bright and fade
in reeds along the shore
like a pearl in a sea of liquid jade
His ship comes shining

like a crystal swan in a sky of suns
His ship comes shining

--bruce cockburn