Where the Marsh Meets the Sea

Verse 1
Along the Solent’s sheltered edge,
Low saltmarsh spreads beyond the ledge,
Mudflats breathing with the tide,
Flooded, uncovered, side by side.
A coastal wetland, wide and plain,
Shaped by water time and rain,
A living margin, land and sea,
Held in constant change and symmetry.

Pre-Chorus
Twice each day the waters move,
Leaving feeding ground to prove,
That life depends on tide and space,
In this shifting, open place.

Chorus
Here the marsh meets the sea,
Protected land, naturally,
Saltmarsh, mud, and tidal flow,
Changing shape as waters go,
Sheltered ground behind the spit,
Where calm and coastline closely fit,
A coastal system, wild and free,
Where the marsh still meets the sea.

Verse 2
When the tide pulls back its weight,
Wigeon gather, redshank wait,
Curlew calls across the flats,
Feeding where the mud relents.
Rich with life beneath the skin,
Invertebrates draw the birds back in,
A winter refuge, vital ground,
Where movement, pause, and need are found.

Pre-Chorus
Every footprint, bill, and call,
Marks the rise and tidal fall,
Each return written carefully,
By the rhythm of the sea.

Chorus
Here the marsh meets the sea,
Protected land, naturally,
Saltmarsh, mud, and tidal flow,
Changing shape as waters go,
Sheltered ground behind the spit,
Where calm and coastline closely fit,
A coastal system, wild and free,
Where the marsh still meets the sea.

Verse 3
As the seasons slowly turn,
Breeding ground and nesting learn,
Terns arrive on open sand,
Gulls take hold of marsh and strand.
Marsh harrier glides above,
Searching low with steady love,
Peregrine cuts the open sky,
A sudden shape that passes by.

Bridge
Salt-tolerant plants take hold,
Sea aster blooms when tides are cold,
Yellow-horned poppy lines the shore,
Rooted where the waters pour.

Final Chorus
Here the marsh meets the sea,
A managed reserve, carefully,
Mudflats, lagoons, reedbed lines,
Used by life through changing times,
From winter flocks to summer nests,
From feeding grounds to sheltered rests,
A living boundary constantly,
Where the marsh still meets the sea.

Outro
As the water lifts and leaves again,
The marsh responds as it always has been,
Flooded, uncovered, endlessly,
Where the marsh lives with the sea