this is the story of the liberty of norton folgate old jack norris the musical shrimp and the cadging ramble a little bit of this would you like a bit of that but in weather like this you should wear a coat a nice warm hat a needle and thread the hand stitches of time battling lavinski versus jackie burke bobbing and weaving an invisible line so step for step and both light on our feet well travel many a long dim silent street would you like a bit of this or a little bit of that missus a little bit of what you like does you no harm you know that the perpetual steady echo of the passing beat a continual dark river of people in their transience and in its permanence but when the streetlamp fills the gutter with gold so many priceless items bought and sold so step for step and both light on our feet well travel many a long dim silent street together once round arnold circus up through petticoat lane past the well of shadows and once back round again arm in arm with an abstracted air to where the people stared at the upstairs windows because we are living like kings and these days will last forever cos sailors from africa china and the archipelago of malay jump ship ragged and penniless into shadwells tiger bay the welsh and irish wagtails mothers of midnight the music hall carousal is spilling out into bonfire light sending half crazed shadows giants dancing up the brick wall of mr trumans beer factory waving bottles ten feet tall whether one calls it spitalfields whitechapel tower hamlets or banglatown were all dancing in the moonlight were all on borrowed ground oh im just walking down to im just floating down through wont you come with me to the liberty of norton folgate but wait whats that dan leno and a limehouse gollum purposefully walking nowhere oh im happy just floating about on a sunday afternoon the stall holders all call and shout avoiding people you know youre just basking in your own company the technicolor worlds going by but youre the lead in your own movie cos in the liberty of norton folgate walking wild and free in your second hand coat happy just to float in this little taste of liberty a part of everything you see there coming left or right trying to flog you stuff you dont need or want and a smiling chap takes your hand and drags you in his uncles restaurant theres a chinese man trying hard to flog you moody dvds you know youve seen the film its black and white its got no sound and a mans head pops up and down right across your widescreen tv only a fiver alright two for eight quid cos in the liberty of norton folgate walking wild and free in your second hand coat happy just to float in this little piece of liberty youre a part of everything you see cos its steady old fellows pickpockets dandies extortioners and night wanderers the feeble the ghastly upon whom death had placed a very sure hand some in shreds and patches reeling inarticulate full of noisy and inordinate vivacity which jars discordantly upon the ear and give an aching sensation to both pair of eyeballs in the beginning was the fear of the immigrant in the beginning was the fear of the immigrant hes made his way down to the dark riverside in the beginning was the fear of the immigrant in the beginning was the fear of the immigrant he made his home there by the dark riverside he made his home there down by the riverside they made their homes there down by the riverside the city sprang from the dark river thames they made their home there down by the riverside they made their homes there down by the riverside the city sprang up from the dark mud of the thames i say it again cos in the liberty of norton folgate walking wild and free and in your second hand coat happy just to float in this little taste of liberty cos youre a part of everything you see yes youre a part of everything you see with a little bit of this and a little bit of that a little bit of what you like does you no harm you know that