Ships That Don't Come In

Infobox Single
Name = Ships That Don't Come In


Cover size =
Border =
Caption =
Artist = Joe Diffie
Album = Regular Joe
A-side =
B-side =
Released = April 14, 1992
Format = CD Single
Recorded =
Genre = Country
Length = 3:39
Label = Epic
Writer = Paul Nelson, Dave Gibson
Producer =
Audio sample? =
Certification =
Last single = "Is It Cold In Here"
(1991)
This single = "Ships That Don't Come In"
(1992)
Next single = "Next Thing Smokin'"
(1992)
Misc =

"Ships That Don't Come In" is a single by American country music singer Joe Diffie that reached the Top 5 on the "Billboard" Hot Country Singles & Tracks (now Hot Country Songs) chart in 1992. It was the second single released from his album "Regular Joe".

Content

The song is a mid-tempo ballad, accompanied largely by acoustic guitar and a string section. It begins with the male narrator, who is feeling unhappy about his life, observing an older man at a bar. The two then begin conversing, learning in the process about each other's lives. In the end of that verse, the older man then observes that although he and the narrator have had their chances in life, others have not. This point is elaborated in the chorus:

:"So here's to all the soldiers:"Who have ever died in vain:"The insane locked up in themselves:"The homeless down on Main:"To those that stand on empty shores:"And spit against the wind:"And those who wait forever:"For ships that don't come in"

In the second verse, the older man then explains that situations such as heartache, in his opinion, are "hardly worth our time". Ultimately, he states that he cannot complain about his own life, and that the narrator should not complain, either ("God made life a gamble / And we're still in the game").

Chart performance

The song debuted at #68 on the Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart dated April 18, 1992. It charted for 20 weeks on that chart, reaching its peak of #5 on the chart dated July 11, 1992.

Charts

External links

* [http://www.cmt.com/lyrics/joe-diffie/ships-that-dont-come-in/2531360/lyrics.jhtml Lyrics] at CMT.com