Have you seen them in every station Begging in their separate ways Some of them are no more than children Some of them are runaways I don't care for your opinion I've seen you turn your face the other way And you said to me "Son, what's your problem? Can't we talk about this over lunch some day?" And I bet you've never Been south of the river Down the Old Kent Road or down Southwark way I bet you've never never seen them Lying in the litter In the cardboard boxes Where you make them stay In the docklands of East London Where those great tall ships once sailed Of a price of couple of hundred thousands I have seen your condominiums for sale In the north by the archway tavern You can see them lying there every day And they're drunk to hell, they'll scream their minds to the heaven "My God why did it have to be this way?" And I bet you've never Been south of the river Down the Old Kent Road or down Southwark way I bet you've never never seen them Lying in the litter In the cardboard boxes Where you make them stay I worked my time and I paid my taxes I've lined your pockets with my pay You said you'd take my money You said you'd help them But in your pockets it just seems to stay And I've seen your fancy house in Richmond And where you moor your boat on Kingston Quay Every week you take your wife and children sailing Try taking them down to south London some day And I bet you've never Been south of the river Down the Old Kent Road or down Southwark way I bet you've never never seen them Lying in the litter In the cardboard boxes Where you make them stay In the cardboard boxes where they have to stay