Sting
Lyricist: STING Composer: STING
I looked out across the river today
Saw a city in the fog and an old church town where the seagulls play
Saw the sad shire horses walking home in the sodium light
Two priests on the ferry, October geese on a cold winter's night
All this time the river flowed endlessly to the sea
Two priests came 'round our house tonight
One young, one old, to offer prayers for the dying to serve the final rite
One to learn, one to teach which way the cold wind blows
And fussing and flapping in priestly black like a murder of crows
All this time the river flowed endlessly to the sea
If I had my way, take a boat from the river and I'd bury the old man
I'd bury him at sea
Blessed are the poor, for they shall inherit the earth
Better to be poor than a fat man in the eye of the needle
As these words were spoken I swear I hear the old man laughing
What good is a used up world and how could it be worth having?
All this time the river flowed endlessly like a silent tear
All this time the river flowed
Father, if Jesus exists then how come he never lives here?
Yeah yeah, yeah yeah, yeah yeah
Teachers told the Romans built this place
They built a wall and a temple and an edge of the empire garrison town
They lived and they died
They prayed to their gods, but the stone gods did not make a sound
And their empire crumbles 'till all that was left
Were the stones the workmen found
All this time the river flowed in the falling light of a Northern sun
If I had my way, take a boat from the river
Men go crazy in the congregations, they only get better one by one
One by one, one by one by one, one by one
(I looked out across the river today)