All this time
I looked out acrossthe river todayI saw a city in the fog and an old church towerWhere the seagulls playI saw the sad shire horses walking homeIn the sodium lightI saw two priests on the ferryOctober geese on a cold winter's night
And all this time, the river flowedEndlessly to the sea
Two priests came round our house tonightOne young, one old, to offer prayers for the dyingTo serve the final riteOne to learn, one to teachWhich way the cold wind blowsFussing and flapping in priestly blackLike a murder of crowsAnd all this time, the river flowedEndlessly to the seaIf I had my way I'd take a boat from the riverAnd I'd bury the old manI'd bury him at sea
Blessed are the poor, for they shall inherit the earthBetter to be poor than a fat man in the eye of a needleAnd as these words were spoken I swearI hear the old man laughingWhat good is a used up world and howCould it be worth having
And all this time, the river flowedEndlessly like a silent tearAnd all this time, the river flowedFather, if Jesus existsThen how come he never lived here
The teachers told us, the Romans built this placeThey built a wall and a temple, en edge of the empireGarrison townThey lived and they died, they prayed to their godsBut the stone gods did not make a soundAnd their empire crumbled, till all that was leftWere the stones the workmen found
And all this time, the river flowedIn falling light of a northern sunIf I had my way I'd take a boat from the riverMen go crazy in congregationsBut they only get betterOne by oneOne by one...