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A Great Northern River Lyrics by The Unthanks

Diversions, Volume 3: Songs From the Shipyards

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The big ships sail up, the big ships sail down
A great northern river
Funnels of red, funnels of black
Banded with yellow and silver
Bringing in cargos of oil and wood
Taking home girders of steel and pig iron
All coloured faces, flags from all places
High from the sternposts are flying
Down on the docks, down on the wharves
Lofty grain standing
Stevedores working and rivermen shouting
Crews making ready for London
Ropes black and tarry
Chains rusty and red
Lay among timber and bollards and packing
Seagulls wheel over wild river cats
Down on the jetties are watching
Nights by the docks, pack'd smoky pubs
Plenty of shouting and swearing
Heavy brown ale, thick muddy stout
And nobody's caring
A lass starts to warble a popular song
They're throwing her pennies and pieces of silver
Closing time called, silence then falls
On a great northern river
Credits
The Unthanks

The Unthanks

About “A Great Northern River” by The Unthanks

Read the complete lyrics to "A Great Northern River" by The Unthanks from the album "Diversions, Volume 3: Songs From the Shipyards". On Lyrks you can follow along with the full text, explore the artist's discography, and discover related songs. The track is often categorized under Pop.

"A Great Northern River" is performed by The Unthanks. from the album "Diversions, Volume 3: Songs From the Shipyards" This page provides the full lyric text for fans who want to sing along, study the songwriting, or compare versions across releases. Lyrks organizes lyrics by artist and song slug so you can bookmark and share a stable URL. Music lyrics help listeners connect with emotion, narrative, and rhythm in a track. Whether you are learning English, researching a favorite chorus, or preparing for karaoke, having accurate line breaks and section labels (verse, chorus, bridge) makes the experience easier. We link to the official artist profile on Lyrks where available, including biography snippets, top songs, and chart placements when we have that data. If you enjoy "A Great Northern River", explore more songs by The Unthanks using the links below. Chart and trending pages on Lyrks highlight what listeners are searching for this week. For copyright or correction requests, see our DMCA and contact pages.

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Frequently asked questions

"A Great Northern River" is credited to The Unthanks. Songwriting credits may include additional writers listed on the release; check the credits section on this page for linked collaborators.

"A Great Northern River" appears on "Diversions, Volume 3: Songs From the Shipyards".

Visit the The Unthanks artist page at /artist/the-unthanks for biography, popular tracks, and links to more lyric pages.