Big River
Jimmy Nail Lyrics

Walking on cobble stone, little bits of skin and bone
Walking on the old, rocky street, which is filled with the remains of past times

Jumping on the tram car for a ride
Enjoying the tram car rides for adventure

I can remember then, I was just a boy of ten
The memories of his childhood that start from the age of 10 are fresh in his mind

Hanging out along the old quayside
Spending time at the old docking area by the river

Not all the capstans and the cargo boats
Despite many of the old features and aspects being gone

And stevadores are gone
The people who load and unload cargo are gone too

To where all the old ships go
The old ships have gone to their final destination

But memories just like the seas live on
However, the memories of the past remain alive, like the sea that is always moving

That was when coal was king,
The time when coal was the major industry and dominant employer

The river a living thing
The river actually served a purpose back then

And I was just a boy, but it was mine,
Although he was young, the place he belonged then was the river

The coaly tyne
The river Tyne, known for its coal mining and transportation

This was a big river,
The river was grand and significant

I want you all to know that I was proud
The singer takes great pride in the grandeur of the river

This was a big river, but that was long ago,
However, those glory days are now in the distant past

That's not now, that's not now
The present is different and not like it used to be

My father was a working man,
The singer's father was a laborer

He earned our living with his hands
He supported the family through physical labor

He had to cross the river every day
He had to travel across the river to earn a living

He picked up a union card out of the neptune yard
He obtained union membership at the Neptune shipyard

Mouths to feed and the bills to pay
He had to provide for his family and pay his bills

Then came a time for him to sail across the sea
He had to go overseas for work

And far away
He went far from home for a while

Finally, when the war was won
After the war when they emerged victorious

You brought him home and home he stayed
He was brought back home and stayed there for good

And when his days were done, under a golden sun
When the singer's father passed away, it was during a beautiful moment

You carried him to where he longed to be,
He was buried according to his wishes by the sea, where he felt at home

Back to the sea
He returned to the place he felt most comfortable and familiar with- the sea

The neptune was the last to go,
The Neptune shipyard was the last to close down

I heard it on my radio
The singer learned about the factory's closure through the radio

And then they played the latest number one
After sharing such grim news, the radio station played some upbeat music

But what do they do all day?
The singer wonders what happened to the people who used to work there

And what are they supposed to say?
He wonders how those now unemployed people might feel

What does a father tell his son?
He questions what a dad might say to his kid about losing their job

If you believed that there's a bond between our future
If we are convinced that there is an unbreakable connection between our present and past,

And our past
The time gone by, and the previous generation

Then try to hold on to what we had,
We need to cherish our past and retain its essence,

We build them strong, we built to last
We constructed them to be robust and durable

'Cause this is a mighty town,
The town is a strong and vibrant place

It's built upon solid ground
It is founded on a firm base

And everything they tried so hard to kill,
The things that others tried hard to destroy,

We will rebuild
We will repair them, keep them alive, and make them thrive again

This was a big river
The river was significant and had tremendous power

I want you all to know that I was proud
The singer is attached to the river and is proud of it

This was a big river, but that was long ago,
However, those days are long gone now

That's not now
Things have changed, and we need to accept it

This is a big river,
Despite the changes, we need to recognize the river's potential and value

And in my heart, I know it will rise again
The singer feels that the river will recover from its shortcomings and have its glorious days again