A young American sailor on a foreign shore There to serve his country in time of war Walks to the dock every morning and waits for the ships to come in Wishin' he was the stamp on the letter he's mailing home So he could soon be back in her arms again Instead of feeling like a ship in a bottle Tryin' to get out and sail away Like a ship in a bottle Tryin' to get out and sail away And she was an entertainer back home in Alabama Playing "Angel from Montgomery" in the Holiday Inns From Mobile up to Birmingham And the picture on her piano went with her every night to her room And slept on the pillow beside her While she lay awake thinkin' about her sailor Nine months away across the waters in June Feeling like a ship in a bottle Tryin' to get out and sail away Like a ship in a bottle Tryin' to get out and sail away (Sail away) Someday they're gonna be together (Sail away) One day they won't be oceans apart (Sail away) Every day seems like forever when you're in love And not with your love You ought to be with the one you love A young American sailor home from the war Lies on a blanket with his new bride As the southern sun is sinking on the Gulf Coast shore And sealed in an empty champagne bottle A note containing both of their names Is sent for a ride on the evening tide And the note read "The ship has gone and sailed away"