Two up, two down in a North East town
On a street of grey not far from the Bay
Fishing boats line up on the quay
And people come around to see
The ships that sail on down the line
As their bows break foaming waves in the Brine
The sound of hammers, steel and steam
Ring from the Docks, through fog unseen
A shipyard horn howls in the night
The Arc lights of the Welders bright
Then creeps the Morning over the hillside
As the waves roll in with the coming tide
The sound of many booted feet
Stomping down along our street
To the Dockside where they quietly wait
For the Foreman to spread wide the gates
Men of skill now in the past
Raised those ships from keel to mast
Now but a fading memory
Of things that are no longer here
Jan 5
Jan 5, 2026 at 3:06 PM UTC
Two up, two down in a North East town
On a street of grey not far from the Bay
Fishing boats line up on the quay
And people come around to see
The ships that sail on down the line
As their bows break foaming waves in the Brine
The sound of hammers, steel and steam
Ring from the Docks, through fog unseen
A shipyard horn howls in the night
The Arc lights of the Welders bright
Then creeps the Morning over the hillside
As the waves roll in with the coming tide
The sound of many booted feet
Stomping down along our street
To the Dockside where they quietly wait
For the Foreman to spread wide the gates
Men of skill now in the past
Raised those ships from keel to mast
Now but a fading memory
Of things that are no longer here
I grew up in a working class community on the Banks of the river Tyne in North East England. The docks and the Fishing boats were ever present. The smell and sound of the sea and the docks still echo in my ears whenever I go back - even though the Docks are long gone.
I wrote a song about the Demise of the shipyards and docks. You can find it here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iTqkIsORa-0&list=RDiTqkIsORa-0&start_radio=1
