the tyne slides by - alex glasgow lyrics
and the tyne slides by
the seagulls cry
and the ships lie safe and silent
at the riverside
salisbury crescent and mornington square
fine names for fine houses, fine people live there
bloomsbury gardens and regency mews
“tradesmen use side entrances, no hawkers please”
judges and generals, all fox-hunting men
antiques, au pair girls, villas in spain
grosvenor mansions, victoria close
calling out sweetly for betjeman prose
windermere avenues, coniston groves
neat little hutches in neat little rows
b-ttermere crescents and ullswater greens
three pastel bedrooms for middle-cl-ss dreams
daddy’s out teaching and mummy will soon
to pay back the loan on their four-door saloon
kiddies well-spoken, well-dressed and well shod
mortgages, miseries, but pensions thank god
paradise dwellings and colliery rows
along co-op terrace, and up albert road
inkermans, kitcheners, all round the town
streets fit for heroes, two up and two down
ypres street, haig street, all bronchitic black
bulldozers wait to begin the attack
this year or next year or never perhaps
new homes for heroes, paradise flats
turn my eyes to the gl-ss
and reluctantly i’ll tell you what they see
turn my eyes to the gl-ss
they see a babe where no babe used to be
they see blue eyes, blue unsuspecting eyes
they see a smile, unwittingly beguiling
and the tyne slides by
the seagulls cry
and the ships lie safe and silent
at the riverside
jack and jill are off to serve
a sentence in their child preserve
where iron bars confine the extra care they need
jack will meet his brothers there
those baby boiler-makers there
and jill will share the fate of her neglected breed
this is where the world begins
this is where they’ll try their wings
and learn that kings and queens are from a different mould
losing as they always will
down the hill go jack and jill
down the river where their mams and dads were also sold
tim and joy are private schooled
prepared by every golden rule
so gently weaned and polished clean for finer things
tim is with his kith and kin
the game is tailor made for him
and joy will win on roundabouts as well as swings
tim and joy swim with the stream
born to join the winning team
and mum and dad can dream of what the future brings
little girls and little boys
jacks and jills and tims and joys
please don’t make a noise, you’ll spoil the scheme of things
turn my eyes to the gl-ss
and reluctantly i’ll tell you what they see
turn my eyes to the gl-ss
they see a youth where no youth used to be
they see a grin, a shy disarming grin
they see the hope in blue eyes brightly shining
and the tyne slides by
the seagulls cry
and the ships lie safe and silent
at the riverside
w-lly cannot wait to join his mates
and get a taste of weekly wages
his eyes are full of fire with the desire
to climb up higher and be a proper man
w-lly hates the school and every rule
that makes the cl-ssroom seem like cages
w-lly sees excitement in employment
where he’ll be a proper man
w-lly is equiped to start a shift
he’s had the gift of education
they filled him full of kings and things
designed to let him grow up as a proper man
w-lly wants to fly or try his wings
and p-ss his first examination
as worker of the world where he’s accepted
as a proper man
w-lly shut the door and keep your paws
out of the way, lad
w-lly brew the tea and run and see
what won the three o’clock today, lad
w-lly watch your lip, you’ll get a clip
so take a little tip from me, lad
you’ll get your fingers burned
unless you learn to knuckle down
and be a proper man
turn my eyes to the gl-ss
and reluctantly i’ll tell you what they see
turn my eyes to the gl-ss
they see a man where no man used to be
they see the wounds, the life-denying wounds
they see the eyes conditioned to the waging
and the tyne slides by
the seagulls cry
and the ships lie safe and silent
at the riverside
w-lly’s got a date with sat-rday
sat-rday afternoon
w-lly cannot wait till sat-rday
sat-rday afternoon
catch the yellow bus to gallowgate
needle match begins at three
time for a pint in the strawberry bar
what a day it’s a bound to be
up on the terraces, fight through the crowd
“howay united!” shouted w-lly good and loud
shouted w-lly good and loud
tim is in the pink on sat-rday
sat-rday arfternoon
tim can sip a gin on sat-rday
tended by the master’s groom
off with the hounds through the countryside
sniffing mr. fox’s trail
thrilling on the chase through the sycamore trees
over hill and down the dale
hounds on the scent chaps, blow the hunting h-rn
[fanfare] sounds the silly hunting h-rn
sounds the silly hunting h-rn
bugle makes a din on sat-rday
sat-rday afternoon
blowing in for a win on satuday
sat-rday afternoon
black and white shirts in the visitor’s goal
up goes the head for the cross
w-lly goes wild with the fella next door
tim takes a whip to his horse
boots go a-dribbling, hooves go a-galloping
“we are the champions!”
k!ll mr. fox, k!ll k!ll k!ll k!ll
k!ll mr. fox, k!ll k!ll
w-lly’s got a date with sat-rday
sat-rday afternoon
tim is in the pink on sat-rday
sat-rday arfternoon
all in a day, w-lly
all in a day
she’s leaving today, w-lly
she’s sailing away
do you recall, w-lly
the steel wind cutting off the river?
do you recall, w-lly
the berth plans at the water’s edge?
will they ever know, w-lly
the life thou has welded on the river?
is it any more, w-lly
than so much wages underneath the bridge?
all in a day, w-lly
all in a day
she’s leaving today, w-lly
she’s sailing away
and come tomorrow, w-lly
when the peeping toms have canned the final picture
and come tomorrow, w-lly
when the c-cktail party faces have stiffened hard
and come tomorrow, w-lly
the same wind will whistle off the river
and come tomorrow, w-lly
i’ll see you seven-thirty in the yard
all in a day, w-lly
all in a day
she’s leaving today, w-lly
she’s sailing away
turn my eyes to the gl-ss
and reluctantly i’ll tell you what they see
turn my eyes to the gl-ss
they see an old man where no old man used to be
they see the lines, the unrewarded lines
they see the eyes defeated in the trying
and the tyne slides by
the seagulls cry
and the ships lie safe and silent
at the riverside
grandda’s got a job to do
walk along wi’ me
grandda’s got a job to do
looking after me
grandda earned a shipwright’s pay
working down the yard
grandda’s hair turned silver-grey
working very hard
grandda walks me many a mile
grandda loves his dowter’s child
grandda gives me many a smile
when he’s out wi’ me
grandda’s got a job to do
walk along wi’ me
grandda’s got a job to do
looking after me
grandda’s working days are past
walk along wi’ me
grandda’s pension doesn’t last
walk along wi’ me
grandda laughs and grandda sighs
grandda’s crying deep inside
grandda hates the riverside
walk along wi’ me
grandda’s got a job to do
walk along wi’ me
grandda’s got a job to do
looking after me
turn my eyes to the gl-ss
and reluctantly i’ll tell you what they see
turn my eyes to the gl-ss
they see a sp-ce where his face used to be
they see a sp-ce, a soon-forgotten sp-ce
and the wasted eyes are dust under the morning
and the tyne slides by
the seagulls cry
and the ships lie safe and silent
at the riverside
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