Chord/Tab song: Big River

words and music by Jimmy Nail

Intro Bb, Bbm, F (repeat)

[F]walking on [Fsus4]cobble stone[F], little bits of [Bb]skin and bone
Dm Am Gm C, Csus4
jumping on the tram car for a ride
[F]I can re[Fsus4]member then,[F] I was just a [Bb]boy of ten
Dm Am Gm C, Csus4
hanging out along the old quayside
[Bb]now all the cap[F]stans and the [Dm]cargo boats
and s[Bb]tevadores are gone
to where all the [F]old ships go
Gsus4, G Csus4 C F
but memories just like the seas live on

that was when [Fsus4]coal was king,
[F]the river a l[Bb]iving thing
[Dm]and I was just [Am]a boy, but it was [Gm]mine,
[Csus4]the c[C]oaly t[F]yne[Bb][C]

this was a [F]big [Bb]river,
Dm Am Gm C, Csus4
I want you all to know that I was proud
this was a [F]big r[Bb]iver, but [Dm]that was long [Am]ago,
that's not [Gm]now, [Csus4] [C] that's not n[F]ow

[F]my father was a w[Fsus4]orking man,
[F]he earned our living w[Bb]ith his hands
Dm Am Gm C, Csus4
he had to cross the river every day
[F]he picked up a u[Fsus4]nion card[F] out of the [Bb]Neptune yard
Dm Am Gm C, Csus4
mouths to feed and bills to pay
[Bb]then came a t[F]ime for him to s[Dm]ail across the sea and far[Bb] away
[Bb]finally wh[F]en the war was won

[Gsus4]you [G]brought him [Csus4]home and [C]home he stayed[F]

[F]and when his [Fsus4]days were done, [F]under a [Bb]golden sun
[Dm]you carried him to w[Am]here he longed to [Gm]be,
Csus4 C F Bb, C
Back to the sea

this was a [F]big r[Bb]iver,
Dm Am Gm C, Csus4
I want you all to know that I was proud
this was a [F]big r[Bb]iver, but [Dm]that was long [Am]ago,
that's not n[Gm]ow, [Csus4] [C] that's not n[F]ow

Repeat Intro

[F]the Neptune was the [Fsus4]last to go,
[F]I heard it on my r[Bb]adio
Dm Am Gm Csus4, C
and then they played the latest number one
[F]but what [Fsus4]do they do all day?
[F]and what are they s[Bb]upposed to say?
Dm Am Gm Csus4, C
what does a father tell his son?
[Bb]if you you bel[F]ieved that there's a b[Dm]ond between our future and our p[Bb]ast
try to hold [F]on to what we had,
[Gsus4]we [G]build them [Csus4]strong, we b[C]uild to la[F]st


[F]'cause this is a [Fsus4]mighty town,[F] it's built upon [Bb]solid ground
[Dm]and everything they [Am]tried so hard to [Gm]kill,
[Csus4]we [C]will rebui[F]ld[Bb][C]


this was a [F]big [Bb]river
I [Dm]want you all to [Am]know that I was p[Gm]roud[Csus4][C]
this was a [F]big r[Bb]iver, but [Dm]that was long [Am]ago,
that's not [Gm]now[Csus4][C]
this is a [F]big r[Bb]iver,
and [Dm]in my heart I k[Am]now it will rise ag[Bb]ain
the riv[C]er will rise a[F]gain[Fsus4][F]

Dedicated to Jimmy Bradford (1914 - 1990)

Tab by Alan Jenkins ([email protected] for more)