Jimmy Nail - Big River Lyrics
Words and music by jimmy nailWalking on cobble stone, little bits of skin and boneJumping on the tram car for a rideI can remember then, I was just a boy of tenHanging out along the old quaysideNot all the capstans and the cargo boatsAnd stevadores are goneTo where all the old ships goBut memories just like the seas live onThat was when coal was king,The river a living thingAnd I was just a boy, but it was mine,The coaly tyneThis was a big river,I want you all to know that I was proudThis was a big river, but that was long ago,Thats not now, thats not nowMy fther was a working man,He earned our living with his handsHe had to cross the river every dayHe picked up a union card out of the neptune yardMouths to feed and the bills to payThen came a time for him to sail across the seaAnd far awayFinally when the war was wonYou brought him home and home he stayedAnd when his days were done, under a golden sunYou carried him to where he longed to be,Back to the seaThis was a big river,I want you all to know that I was proudThis was a big river, but that was long ago,Thats not nowThe neptune was the last to go,I heard it on my radioAnd then they played the latest number oneBut what do they do all day?And what are they supposed to say?What does a father tell his son?If you you believed that theres a bond between our futureAnd our pastThen try to hold on to what we had,We build them strong, we built to lastcause this is a mighty town,Its built upon solid groundAnd everything they tried so hard to kill,We will rebuildThis was a big riverI want you all to know that I was proudThis was a big river, but that was long ago,Thats not nowThis is a big river,And in my heart I know it will rise againThe river will rise again
