Last year, the Wall Street Journal published “A Sailor’s Prayer” written by Joseph Anthony Welteroth to his wife in Pennsylvania while he was serving in the Pacific in 1945. I thought it was appropriate to post it here on October 13th, the birthday of the United States Navy. God bless all who serve.
We will not go gently into this dark night.
For the love we carry will guide the light.
And hold our tears ’til the morning’s bright.
Awakened again into the night,
We will not go gently into the dark night.
The day surrounds us without its light.
And silence falls, come soon the night.
Where shadows east past fire’s light.
We will not go gently into the dark night.
The paths before us, the dark, the light.
We ask for nothing, we know what’s right.
The truth, the glory, it’s found its fight.
Our strength, our courage, our guiding light.
We will not go gently into this dark night,
And give our life without the right.
To call the sun into the night,
And question the question, what’s wrong, what’s right.
We will not go gently into this dark night.
For the love we share will guide the light,
And pray someday you find what’s right?
We pray someday you find the light.
We will not go gently into this great night.
The paths before us, the dark, the light.
Tomorrow comes and so the fight.
Where Heroes fall but still we fight.
Their voices call into the night,
This war won’t end, no end in sight.
We ask for nothing, we fight this fight.
We ask for nothing, we know what’s right.
We ask for nothing,
We found the light.
