The Golden Machine

I tie my safety harness tight
The welding torch cuts through the night
A single spark falls in the mud
Beside the heavy Southwark flood
My calloused hands grip freezing steel
I make the heavy cables seal

Bong, bong, bong, bong hits the bell
Four heavy strikes that I know so well
I count them from my iron beam
The dark water begins to gleam
I watch the golden machine awake
I feel the iron city start to shake

I wipe the sweat across my chin
The copper wiring stretches thin
I bolt the clamp upon the mast
The velvet darkness fades at last
A broken bottle catches the spark
My heavy boots step through the dark

Bong, bong, bong, bong hits the bell
Four heavy strikes that I know so well
I count them from my iron beam
The dark water begins to gleam
I watch the golden machine awake
I feel the iron city start to shake

Voices rise from the tunnel vent
The silver cable is fully bent
I lift the massive girder high
I paint a shadow on the sky

Bong, bong, bong, bong hits the bell
Four heavy strikes that I know so well
I count them from my iron beam
The dark water begins to gleam
I watch the golden machine awake
I feel the iron city start to shake

Bong, bong, bong, bong, bong strikes five
I hear the bell from the highest crane
The morning sun washes out the rain