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Walking on cobbled stone
Little bits of skin and bone
Jumping on a tram car for a ride
I can remember then
As I was just a boy of ten
Hanging around the old keyside
Now all the capstans and the cargo boats
And stevadores are gone
To where all the old ships go
But memories just like the seas live on
'Cause that was when coal was king
The river was a living thing
And I was just a boy
But it was mine
The coaly Tyne
For this was a big river
I want you all to know
That I was proud
This was a big river
But that was long ago
That's not now
That's not now
My father was a working man
He earned our living with his hands
He had to cross the river every day
He picked up a union card
Out of the Neptune yard
Mouths to feed and bills to pay
There came a time for him to sail
Across the seas and far away
Finally when that war was won
You brought him home
And home he stayed
And when his days were done
Under a golden sun
You took him back to where he longed to be
Back to the sea
For this was a big river
I want you all to know
That I was proud
This was a big river
But that was long ago
That's not now
That's not now
That's not now
The Neptune was the last to go
I heard it on my radio
And then they played the latest number one
But what do they do all day?
And what are they supposed to say?
What does a father tell his son?
If you believe that there's a bond
Between our future
And our past
Try to hold on to what we had
We build them strong
We built to last
'Cause this is a mighty town
Built upon a solid ground
And everything they've tried so hard to kill
We will rebuild
For this was a big river
I want you all to know
I'm so very proud
This was a big river
But that was long ago
That's not now
And this is a big, big, river
And in my heart I know it will rise again
The river will rise again
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