Keeper

79 steps each time, it takes it out of me, I’ve been the lighthouse keeper here, Since I was 23. There’s nice accommodation when, you get down to the ground, But I spend most of my time, Making sure the ships are sound. They say it’s isolating, Here alone beside the sea, It doesn’t feel that cos I know, Sailors rely on me. It’s eerie in the winter, When it’s dark at four o’clock, Climbing up the cold wet steps, To ensure I take stock. I don’t know what job I could do, If ever this one ends, It has its ups and downs of course, But not how to make friends. I climb the steps much slower now, And often catch my breath, And wrap up in my coat and gloves, So I don’t catch my death. The light is shining brightly, For the ships that sail the sea, I love to keep the lighthouse, Glad they still rely on me.