Slum With A View

Sweet, serene rooftop lookout

Up the lofty mast of my old brick ship

Lifts me from the threatening winds

That whistle and whip

Through every street, every corner

Of this vast uncharted city

To the distant waves of beckoning lights

Shimmering so bright and pretty

In this wet weathered winter night

No metal is struck; no cogs are turning

And the factory gates have shut

But the watchman’s fire is burning

To guide the voyager along his way

CHORUS:

And from my slum with a view

I gaze across the horizon and think of you

Wrapped up in the sails of a deep blue dream

A warm safe haven from the ocean’s scream

Rows and rows of silent, smoking chimney pots

Wisely witness the tides below me

As I conquer the hostile waters

That try to drown and disown me

Like the undenied sun starting to rise

And the hopeful mist of morning

Can’t cloud the farer’s destiny

A new day is dawning

On that shining steelwork shore

And from my slum with a view

I gaze across the horizon and think of you

Knowing that soon we’ll be together again

Now that my ship has come in

(CHORUS)

© 1994 Leki McCarthy