Richard Dawson
Thicker Than Water
[Verse 1]
At the end, I didn’t really comprehend
That I was saying goodbye
For the last time to all my friends and family
My only thought was flight from the mines

[Chorus 1]
When it hits me, I’ve already
Crossed the border into higher country
Thunder and hail
Sheltered in a burned-out van
I whisper a lullaby

[Verse 2]
I press on
Keeping abreast of the dual-carriageway
Over fields asway with phantoms of wheat
It’s been days now and I haven’t seen a single living creature
Besides a pair of sparring magpies

[Chorus 2]
Going under ochre arches
Once the rumbling arteries of a great city
To-and-fro-ing people in their droves
Above bright streets now, desolate capillaries of stone
[Bridge]
Their laughter resounds from the shells of
Every shop, every pub, every school, every home

[Verse 3]
Within weeks, I managed to find the building
Where Mam and Dad’s earthen vessels are lain
And the dog’s, and my own

[Chorus 3]
With my bare fists, I smash the screens
Pull their drips out, and fling away their goggles
I am in bits
Half-expecting them to wake
But, nothing changes
I'll just have to find another way to reach them
(Ah-ah-ah-ah-ah)