© words and music : garnett betts
east end low river
warehouse brick and stone
dock laid down the bottom
of serpentine westlay road
a thousand men delivered
by the dark before to dawn
now wood and rust and creosote
all they left written done
serpentine westlay road
yeah, the grey light’s just a shiver
on these rusted old bones
on work long forgotten
but never gone
yeah, muscle steam and sweat
moved this world around
up and down river
up hill and into town
serpentine westlay road
chorus:
but hanging on
no one works that way no more
hanging on
to the last crate trucked away
now there’s only one light left
been keeping score
and the two jimmy’s bar
is the light above the door
down serpentine westlay road
bridge:
and what will severance do
here at fifty two
you can cuss and scrap and lose
when it all comes down to you
when the world you breathe in
doesn’t need you
and the job that moved the clock
and all the hands that stopped say
“change will come for you
and change will have to do”
chorus:
but hanging on
no one works that way no more
hanging on
to the last crate trucked away
there’s only one light left
been keeping score
and the two jimmy’s bar
is the light above the door
down serpentine westlay road
now is that east end low river
just stone and broken glass
or a world left down the bottom
of our serpentine past?
down serpentine westlay road
chorus:
but hanging on
no one works that way no more
hanging on
to the last crate trucked away
there’s only one light left
been keeping score
and the two jimmy’s bar
is the light above the door
serpentine westlay road
Garnett Betts 