England 1914

England 1914 - Ralph McTell
Night stirs her inky finger
in the water of the day
The tired sun drops slowly in the sky
And everywhere the gentle
air hangs heavy with the day song
Evening calls the lamplight out to come
Children's wooden hoops go
clattering down the street
Soon they're called inside
It's getting late
The grand canal
Now splashed with red
Reflects on swallows wings
The lamplighter knows
the song the evening sings
But the gas-lamps stand like soldiers
Hiss warnings to the wind
Their evening vespers rophicy a war
The world divides
And men take sides
The spark bursts into flame
Nothing can be quite the same again
Dog barks in the distance
Child cries in her sleep
Night waits for the dawn with baited breath
The old school, the old rule
Rung out on a muffinman's bell
The lamplighter has made his nightly call
Dreams of hope and peace
Sent clattering down the streets
Empty like the promises they made
The wars rage on, and different wrongs
Will someone please explain
That peace is not the lamplighter
Cause he's not coming back again