[Verse 1]
You thought the leaden winter would bring you down forever
But you rode upon a steamer to the violence of the sun

And the colors of the sea blind your eyes with trembling mermaids
And you touch the distant beaches with tales of brave Ulysses
How his naked ears were tortured by the sirens sweetly singing
For the sparkling waves are calling you to kiss their white laced lips

And you see a girl's brown body dancing through the turquoise
And her footprints make you follow where the sky loves the sea
And when your fingers find her, she drowns you in her body
Carving deep blue ripples in the tissues of your mind

[Chorus]
The tiny purple fishes run laughing through your fingers
And you want to take her with you to the hard land of the winter

[Verse 2]
Her name is Aphrodite and she rides a crimson shell
And you know you cannot leave her for you touched the distant sands
With tales of brave Ulysses; how his naked ears were tortured
By the sirens sweetly singing

[Chorus]
The tiny purple fishes run laughing through your fingers
And you want to take her with you to the hard land of the winter

Eric Clapton

Eric Patrick Clapton, CBE, (born 30 March 1945) is an English musician, singer and songwriter. He is the only three-time inductee to the Rock and Roll Hall of once as a solo artist and separately as a member of the Yardbirds and Cream. Clapton has been referred to as one of the most important and influential guitarists of all time. Clapton ranked second in Rolling Stone magazine’s list of the “100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time” and fourth in Gibson’s “Top 50 Guitarists of All Time”.

From the album