Quiet days upon the river
Quiet times in the shipping trade
No more freighters to deliver
No more tankers to be made
Blow of hammer gone forever
Clash of metal, squeal and din
No more wailing of the hooter
Flushing out a thousand men
Chorus 1
They can't bring back this old shipbuilding
No returning to your fathers ways
But these reminders by the water
Linger on from yesterday
Verse 2
Rows of slipways stand forgotten
Empty yards with rotten frames
Silent quays lie abandoned
They once were busy in better days
This old shipbuilding gone forever
No more flags on launching day
Days of pride and days of sorrow
Were they as golden as they say
Chorus 2
Quiet days upon the river
Quiet times upon the quay
High above a seagull passes
Down the river and out towards the sea