Streets of London

Streets of London is the name of a song written by Ralph McTell.  Maybe you know it?  It was released in 1969 and was a big hit.  It has been covered by hundreds of different singers. 

I heard the song again recently and was struck by how beautiful the lyrics are.  It is a song which contrasts the life of someone who is complaining about how hard their life is and a number of different homeless characters, whose problems are obviously greater than most listeners’ are. 

I’ll post the lyrics below along with some notes on the vocabulary.  I’ll also post a link to a version of the song on Youtube.  The Ralph McTell version is very good but I’ll post a version by Mary Hopkin because her pronunciation is very clear and it is easy to catch the lyrics. 

Please listen and feel guilty for a moment about the complaints you make about your life (like getting caught in the rain and getting a little wet!)  

 

Have you seen the old man
In the closed-down market
Kicking up the paper,
with his worn out shoes?
In his eyes you see no pride
Hand held loosely at his side
Yesterday's paper telling yesterday's news

So how can you tell me you're lonely,
And say for you that the sun don't shine?
Let me take you by the hand and lead you through the streets of London
I'll show you something to make you change your mind

Have you seen the old girl
Who walks the streets of London
Dirt in her hair and her clothes in rags?
She's no time for talking,
She just keeps right on walking
Carrying her home in two carrier bags.

Chorus

In the all night cafe
At a quarter past eleven,
Same old man is sitting there on his own
Looking at the world
Over the rim of his tea-cup,
Each tea last an hour
Then he wanders home alone

Chorus

And have you seen the old man
Outside the seaman's mission
Memory fading with
The medal ribbons that he wears.
In our winter city,
The rain cries a little pity
For one more forgotten hero
And a world that doesn't care

Chorus

 

Vocabulary from my introduction:

To be struck by something – For something to make an impression on you, to stick in your mind.

To contrast A with B – If you contrast A with B, then you compare the two and show how different they are.  For example, the painter contrasts the quiet of night with the noise and movement of a big city.

To feel guilty – To think about your actions and feel that they are/were wrong.  For example, after lying to my wife I felt guilty. 

Vocabulary from the song lyrics:

Closed-down – A business which has closed down is no longer open.  It has closed permanently.

Worn out – If something is worn out then the quality has declined because of overuse.  For example, I had better buy a new hat. This old one is worn out.

“and say for you that the sun don’t shine” – This is not grammatically correct.  It should be, “And say for you that the sun doesn’t shine.”

Rags – Completely worn out clothes or cloth. 

A carrier bag – A plastic bag, as used in supermarkets.

The rim of something – The rim of something is the edge, especially of a cup or mug.

Seaman’s mission – A mission means a charitable organisation.  So the seaman’s mission is a charity for sailors or seamen.