Walking on cobbled stones, little bits of skin and bone
Jumping on a tram car for a ride
I can remember then, I was a just a boy of ten
Hanging around the old Quayside
Now all the capstans and the cargo boats and Stevedores 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

Oh, 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 his 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
And finally when the war was won they brought him home and home he stayed

And when his days were done
Under a golden sun
They took him back to where he longed to be
Back to the sea

Oh, 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 the 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 have, we build them strong, we built to last

'Cause this is a mighty town
Build upon solid ground
And everything they've tried so hard to kill
We will rebuild

Oh, 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