Track 1 of the single The Ferryman's Radio · 2026
The Ferryman's Radio
by Earl Beckett
“A man wrote me about his river ferry and his old radio, and I couldn't leave it alone. I wanted it to sound like a Saturday night in a honky-tonk, only out on the water.”
folk rock · honky-tonk · country folk · barbershop harmony · 3:57
Lyrics
Old man runs the river ferry Back and forth since sixty-two Little radio on the railing Tuned to songs that he once knew Fog comes down across the water Lantern swinging at the bow He hums along to every chorus Like he's been here all his life, and how Play it on the ferryman's radio Play it soft across the stream Carry all the lonesome travelers To the other side of the dream Play it on the ferryman's radio Let the static fill the air Every soul that crosses over Leaves a little song somewhere Farmer with a truck of melons Girl in a wedding dress Soldier with a duffel bag A preacher and a priest He never asks them where they're going Never asks them where they've been Just turns the dial a little higher And lets the music take them in Play it on the ferryman's radio Play it soft across the stream Carry all the lonesome travelers To the other side of the dream Play it on the ferryman's radio Let the static fill the air Every soul that crosses over Leaves a little song somewhere Bridge is coming, so they tell him Concrete, steel and paved But he says the river's older And the river won't be saved Last boat leaves at midnight Stars are floating on the tide He shuts the engine, lets it drift And the song is his guide Play it on the ferryman's radio Play it soft across the stream Carry all the lonesome travelers To the other side of the dream Play it on the ferryman's radio Let the static fill the air Every soul that crosses over Leaves a little song somewhere Other side, other side Safe across the water