D G A
I will never forget the walk to the station,
G D A
Me with your suitcase being brotherly strong.
F#m G A D
And trying to make light of the whole situation,
G D A D
In mild conversation we moved through the throng,
D G A
And above all the roar of the town was the blue sky,
G D A
I could hear the birds singing for the joy of the day
F#m G A D
And there was no support from the city forthcoming,
G D A D
No sympathy numbing your going away.
D G A
And there was you with your bright eyes and best dress for travelling
G D A
And me in my work clothes, unshaven and plain,
F#m G A D
Oh, I fully intended to put in the half day,
G D A D
But my good intentions went with you on the train.
D G A
And I never looked back as the train left the station,
G D A
Crossed over the road and walked into the park,
F#m G A D
And there in a bar an old man was singing,
G D A D
And I sat there drinking until it got dark.
D G A
And outside the trees they grew starlings like apples,
G D A
Their hustle and chatter not dampened by the rain.
F#m G A D
That washed down the pavements and into the gutters,
G D A D
That soaked through my clothes as I set out again,
D G A
And above me the stars were all hidden by rain clouds,
G D A
The song of the old man still locked in my brain,
F#m G A D
And all emigration, the curse of a nation
G D A D
The setting now fitting his sad sweet refrain.