BIG RIVER (River Tyne)
Jimmy Nail

Jimmy Nail


Walkin' on cobbled stones, little bits o' skin and bone 
Jumpin' on a tramcar for a ride 
I can remember then, 'cause I was just a boy of ten 
Hangin' around the old quayside 
Now all the capstans and the cargo boats and stevedores are gone 
To where all the old ships go 
But memories just like the seas live on.

'Cause that was when coal was king, 
The river a livin' thing 
And I was just a boy, but it was mine, 
The coaly Tyne. 

For this was a big river, 
I want you all to know that I was proud 
This was a big river, but that was long ago, 
That's not now, that's not now.

My father was a workin' man, 
He earned our livin' with his hands 
He had to cross the river every day 
He picked up a union card, out of the Neptune Yard 
Mouths to feed and bills to pay 
Then came a time for him to sail across the seas and far away, 
Finally when that war was won you brought him home and home he stayed. 
 
And when his days were done, under a golden sun 
You took him back to where he longed to be, 
Back to the sea.

For this was a big river, 
I want you all to know that I was proud 
This was a big river, but that was long ago, 
That's not now 

That's not how 

That's not now 

The Neptune was the last to go, I heard it on my radio 
And then they played the latest number one 
But what do they do all day? 
What are they supposed to say? 
What does a father tell his son? 
If you you believe that there's a bond 
between our future and our past 
Try to hold on to what we had, 
We build them strong, we build to last 

'Cause this is a mighty town, 
Built upon a solid ground 
And everything they've tried so hard to kill, 
We will rebuild. 

For this was a big river 
I want you all to know I'm so very proud 
This was a big river, but that was long ago, 
That's not now 
And this is a big, big river, 
And in my heart I know it will rise again 
The river will rise again.






(Transcribed by Michael Makepeace - August 2011)