H
Old Portsmouth TownThe old houses crowd close together stillAs if trying to keep warm And the winds that blow through Old Portsmouth Town Still rattle the sails of the boats in the storm And the mill wheels turn and the wood fires burn The tides they change twice a day right on time And I hear the bell in the church steeple chime Three and twice three again makes nine Times have changed in Old Portsmouth Town The old's been replaced by the new And the dollar in your pocket comes from far away And there's tracks in the snow from shiny New York shoes The gray wooden working boats and the noisy old machines Are fading fast to fiberglass and green flashing screens The faces in the streetlamps and the hands that hold the beers They're softer now, not weathered by the wind or the years Times have changed in Old Portsmouth Town The old's been replaced by the new The sun goes to sleep on Old Portsmouth Town A song from the tavern fills the street with the sound There's window lights burning bright on a cold December morn Working wakes us early but working keep us warm Times have changed in Old Portsmouth Town The old's been replaced by the new Like the fog from the river the future settles down The past is getting cloudy now fading out of view FIRST VERSE (© 1984 by Harvey Reid)
As recorded on #103 "The Coming of Winter" As re-released on #127 "Songs From A Long Road" See Harvey play this song Return to Song List |