By MICHAEL BAGINSKI/ Styx was always particularly popular in Canada in the 1970s and ‘80s, and still is decades later, as evidenced by the Chicago-based band touring the country this summer with a gig in Toronto this week (a double bill with that other great Chicago band, Chicago) and continuing in the fall in St. John’s, Halifax, Moncton and Quebec City.
Of course, nowadays, Styx’s lead singer is Canadian Lawrence Gowan, who for years has admirably filled in for the inestimable Dennis DeYoung, who split with the band under bad terms in 1999.
And while we certainly love Larry, DeYoung ranks as one of the all-time great rock singers, so for that, we defer to him on this unplugged version of perhaps the band’s most popular song, “Come Sail Away.”
Lyrics
I’m sailing away, set an open course for the virgin sea
Cause I’ve got to be free, free to face the life that’s ahead of me
On board, I’m the captain, so climb aboard
We’ll search for tomorrow on every shore
And I’ll try, oh Lord, I’ll try to carry on
I look to the sea, reflections in the waves spark my memory
Some happy, some sad
I think of childhood friends and the dreams we had
We lived happily forever, so the story goes
But somehow we missed out on that pot of gold
But we’ll try, best that we can, to carry on
A gathering of angels appeared above my head
They sang to me this song of hope, and this is what they said
They said come sail away, come sail away
Come sail away with me now
Come sail away, come sail away
Come sail away with me
Come sail away, come sail away
Come sail away with me now
Come sail away, come sail away
Come sail away with me
I thought that they were angels, but to my surprise
We climbed aboard their starship, we headed for the skies
Singing come sail away, come sail away
Come sail away with me now
Come sail away, come sail away
Come sail away with me
Come sail away, come sail away
Come sail away with me
Come sail away, come sail away
Come sail away with me
Come sail away, come sail away
Come sail away, come sail away
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