In the ghostly harbours of London town
Amidst the thin, relentless rain
Warehouses that have long closed down
And the sound of running freight trains

A man appears dressed in torn up rags
He’s got a skin the colour of clay
From to much whisky, too many fags
And the scars of the errors of his ways

His hands are burnt and his face is drawn
From one last night working for his pay
Frying fish until the break of dawn
And then drinking his last wage away

Ignoring the rush hour, the traffic noise,
The news stands, the workers’ daily race,
His mind is fixed on his one last choice,
To vanish without leaving a trace

Wrapping fish suppers in daily newspapers
Whose headlines are ever the same
Soaking his hands in the sink but the oil and the ink
Leave indelible stains

‘Life will rise and fall like waves of the sea
And I have carried the stones of those born before me
When darkness falls, then light once more may be’

Born and bred with a future ahead
That too many dark nights had obscured
Then his sisters married and his brothers fled
But Luis, he had never been sure

On the dark bridge of London town
Luis stares at the river in flow
Wondering if his soul will drown
Or labour on somewhere below

Luis remembers the days when life and its ways
Seemed wholesome and pure
But the weight of the darks deeds of fate and the choices he made
He can no more endure

‘Life will rise and fall like waves of the sea
And I have carried the stones of those born before me
When darkness falls, then light once more may be’

Luis did pray until night became day
And the lips of his saviour would move
But when the lord of the meek did not speak, Luis saw that his deeds
Even he did reprove

He thinks as he walks to the brim, will the tide release him
To the great ocean’s mouth?
When fixes his eyes on the silver horizon
Where the sunlight pierces the clouds

He sings:
‘Life may rise and fall like waves of the sea
And I have carried the stones of those born before me
Darkness fell, but light once more will be
And darkness will fall, and still light will I see’