Where the road runs down
To the river bank
And the mudlarks search on the shore
Where the watermen set sail
For the towns upstream
Upon a golden course to Runnymede

Where the water's edge
Meets the squares and the streets
The river 'knows the mood
Of kings and crowds and priests'
Take tea in the gardens
Drunk for a penny or two
Stars will lead you home

Sailing on the English way
Racing on the high tides
Here by the riverside
Reaching for the day's last light

When the Houses fall
And the flames meet the sky
Turner takes his boat out
To catch the light

And far downstream the Alice is clean gone
In the dark she slipped away

Racing on the English way
Sails against the skyline
Down by the water's edge
Reaching for the last light

Time and tide wait for no man
A river passing by
As the crowds fade away

The fires grow cold in the east
Skylon rises in a brave new world
The clocks are stopped
And boats are held

Time and tide wait for no man
And now the ship has sailed
And the crowds fade away
But by the water's edge
At the end of the road
I still reach for the day's last light