All This Time
Sting Lyrics

I looked out across the river today.
I gazed at the river and saw what lay ahead.

Saw a city in the fog and an old church town where the seagulls play.
There was a city obscured in fog and a town with an old church where seagulls flew.

Saw the sad shire horses walking home in the sodium light,
In the glow of the sodium lights, I observed the shire horses making their way back home.

Two priests on the ferry.
I saw two priests on the ferry.

October geese on a cold winter's night.
On the frigid autumn evening, I noticed geese in flight.

All this time the river flowed endlessly to the sea.
During this entire time, the river flowed ceaselessly until it met the sea.

Two priests came 'round our house tonight,
Tonight, two priests visited our home.

One young, one old,  to offer  prayers for the dying to serve the final rite.
One of the priests was young, and the other was old, and they came to give last rites to a dying person.

One to learn, one to teach which way the cold wind blows.
One priest was learning, and the other was teaching which direction the cold wind blew.

And fussing and flapping in priestly black like a murder of crows.
Adorned in black, the two priests fussed and flapped around like a flock of crows.

If I had my way, take a boat from the river and I'd bury the old man.
If I could, I would take a boat from the river and bury the old man at sea.

I'd bury him at sea.
I would bury the old man in the ocean.

Blessed are the poor, for they shall inherit the earth.
The poor are blessed and will inherit the earth.

Better to be poor than a fat man in the eye of the needle.
Being poor is preferable to being a wealthy man trying to pass through a small opening.

As these words were spoken I swear I hear the old man laughing.
I'm sure I heard the old man laughing after that was said.

What good is a used up world and how could it be worth having?
Why is a world that has been exhausted worthwhile?

All this time the river flowed endlessly like a silent tear.
The river continued to flow like a silent tear for all this time.

Father, if Jesus exists then how come he never lives here?
Father, if Jesus is real, then why isn't he present here?

Teachers told the Romans built this place.
The teachers claimed that the Romans constructed this location.

They built a wall and a temple and an edge of the empire garrison town.
They constructed a wall, a temple, as well as a town on the border of the Roman empire.

They lived and they died. They prayed to their gods, but the stone gods did not make a sound.
These people lived and died, prayed to their own gods, but the stone gods did not react.

And their empire crumbles 'till all that was left were the stones the workmen found.
Their empire fell, and all that remained were the stones discovered by workmen.

All this time the river flowed in the falling light of a Northern sun.
The river continued to flow as the sun of the North set.

If I had my way, take a boat from the river.
If it were up to me, I would take a boat from the river.

Men go crazy in the congregations, they only get better one by one.
People go mad in groups, and they only become better one by one.

One by one. One by one by one. One by one.
One by one, one by one and so forth.