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The Big Ships

When I was a young girl, I lived in Fourth Street, Down by the shipyards

When I was a young girl
I lived in Fourth Street
Down by the shipyards
My father used to take me down to the shipyard –
See all the big ships,
Loads of big ships,
Beautiful ships,
Big with big guns,
The sailors hustling and bustling on the ships –
– Eeh it looked beautiful.

As I grew older and moved away –
No big ships.
I walk down there now –
No Fourth Street –
No ships.
The River Tyne empty and bare –
Seagulls flying about.
No more the big ships,
No men working –
Just bare,
Just the water running wild down to the sea.
I miss the big ships,
They were beautiful
Where have they gone – the big ships?

by Maureen Powell

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