D A7 D G
My waterway world is a wonderful place
D A7 G D
Where everyone greets me with smiles on their face
G D Em
Always tee-shirt and shorts, never jacket and tie
Bm A7 G D
As that wearisome working world just passes me by
Chorus :
G D A7 D
So I’m going boating to slow down, unwind
G D A7 D
I’m a dreamboat navigator, leaving all cares behind
In my waterway world the sun always shines
On a Kodachrome landscape that's frozen in time
No rain ever falls from a bright azure sky
Though crystal clear water levels are always high
In my waterway world every boater’s my mate
There're no dead-lines to meet so I’m never late
Nothing breaks down, so there’s nothing to mend
And there’s always a real ale pub round the next bend
In my waterway world the props always free
'Cos the cuts contain none of our urban debris
Ropes never tangle, there’s no waiting at locks
It’s a lifestyle not governed by wristwatch or clocks
My waterway world provides a narrow escape
From a life of brown envelopes, rules and red tape
Navigating a system at mere walking speed
Avoiding commercial aggression and greed
But my waterway world is a foolish ideal
A Utopian fantasy, it just isn’t real
I’ll not list the problems, that's a ten verse encore
So I’ll just close my eyes and dream a bit more
My waterway world is a wonderful place . . .
© I H Bruce 2009
Five verses of optimism followed by one of realism. This was inspired by John Conolly's 'Fiddlers
Green' which describes a fishing boat crew's idea of Utopia. In this canal song I just had to
balance the dream with the reality. After writing several verses about moody boaters, miserable
fishermen, invisible waterway workers, broken lock gates, British Waterways/C&RT, etc., I felt that
the song was becoming rather depressing and so settled for the last verse.
My Waterway World
Capo 2