The tide rises, the tide falls,
The twilight darkens, the curlew calls;
Along the sea-sands damp and brown
The traveller hastens toward the town,
And the tide rises, the tide falls.
Darkness settles on roofs and walls,
But the sea, the sea in the darkness calls;
The little waves, with their soft, white hands,
Efface the footprints in the sands,
And the tide rises, the tide falls.
The morning breaks; the steeds in their stalls
Stamp and neigh, as the hostler calls;
The traveler has left the shore, like we do when we die, we leave the Earth. 
 But the traveler left little footprints in the sand, which represent the impression and legacies that we leave behind when we die. 
 However, when you look at the grand scheme of things, those impressions we leave behind after we die don’t last long. People will remember you for a while, but it’s only a matter of time that people simply just start to forget and no one remembers you or what you did. Life continues on without your memories. 
 This is what is symbolized by the footprints being washed away in the water. 

The Tide Rises The Tide Falls