All This Time

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 'rounf
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
I'd 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 a 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 lived here?
Yeah, yeah
Yeah, yeah
Yeah, yeah

Teachers told us
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 crumbled, 'til 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 congregations
They only get better one by one
Yeah, yeah (one by one)
Yeah, yeah (one by one)
Yeah, yeah (one by one)

Yeah, yeah (I looked out across)
Yeah, yeah (The river today)
Yeah, yeah (Saw a city in the fog and an old church town)
Yeah, yeah (Where the seagulls play)
Yeah, yeah (Saw the sad shire horses walking home)
Yeah, yeah (In the sodium light)
Yeah, yeah (Two priests on the ferry)
Yeah, yeah (October geese on a cold winter's night)