1
I was over by the Ironmasters’ district
Now it’s not the place that once I used to know
The works are still they’re silent the railway sidings empty
And the only sign of life there was a crow
And the only sign of life there was a crow.
2
For some time now I’ve been working round the country
Working here and working there and everywhere
When I left here times were better there was work enough and plenty
And of overtime there was a goodly share
And of overtime there was a goodly share.
3
I met old William down beside the river
All his working life a foundryman by trade
He talked about his workmates now scattered round the county
And about the handsome wages they’d been paid
And about the handsome wages they’d been paid.
4
He leaned against a bollard by the dockside
Where once the ships would moor from far and wide
“This river once was crowded with ore-boats by the dozen
But now there’s not a single one in sight
But now there’s not a single one in sight.”
5
I left old William alone to do his thinking
About the better days not long ago
Through the Ironmasters’ district I made my way that morning
Where the only sign of life there was a crow
Where the only sign of life there was a crow.