She remembers how they’d cry and laugh
Reminiscing over photographs
And cups of tea on winter nights
Now long gone.
How he’d touch her face and stroke her hair
And gently carry her up the stairs,
Singing, “Close your eyes love, you can hold on to me.”

Their bed of love filled the house with children,
Who’d run there when the night would scare them.
‘Twas there they’d lay their tired bodies down.
Every morning in each other’s eyes
Were the reasons why the sun did rise
And they lived and loved in St. John’s town.

Hold on, hold on to me.
You’re all I want;
You’re all I have;
You’re all I’ll ever need.
I’ll not take you for granted
Like the old man and the sea.
When the thunder rolls,
Hold on to me.

Well, the years flew by like they were days.
All too soon the kids were raised.
Before she knew it, they had all moved on.
And it hurt him how she missed them so.
He said, “You’ll have to let them go.
You can’t hold on to them
But you can hold on to me”.

Hold on, hold on to me.
You’re all I want;
You’re all I have;
You’re all I’ll ever need.
I’ll not take you for granted
Like the old man and the sea.
When the thunder rolls,
Hold on to me.

In time his mind began to wander
And he’d wake up to the sound of thunder,
And he’d call her name,
And he’d call again.
He’d lay his head upon her breast;
She’d sing their favorite song and yes,
They’d hold on tight, with all their might.

Soon she lost him to his childhood memories.
She cried and prayed and missed him deeply.
He did not know her, but he knew that he was loved.
In the hour just before he died
The light returned and he recognized.
He said, “I love you.”
She said, “You can hold on to me.”

Hold on, hold on to me.
You’re all I want;
You’re all I have;
You’re all I’ll ever need.
I’ll not take you for granted
Like the old man and the sea.
When the thunder rolls,
Hold on to me.

When the thunder rolls,
Hold on to me.

Terry Kelly – lead vocal
Cindy Church – harmony vocal
Curly Boy Stubbs – acoustic guitar
Tom Leighton – accordion
Don Reed – fiddles
Wendy Solomon – cello
John Sheard – piano
Brian Leonard – drums, percussion
Scott Alexander – electric bass