I arrived on a grey Novembers day
Greeted by the cold ocean spray
Fresh from the North Sea
An Englishman in St Pauli
By the docks where ships sailed in
Old men played chess whilst the buskers sing
The weather here is 4 seasons in a day
Within the city where St Pauli play
In the distance Derelict churches stand tall
A reminder of how the War was cruel
The buildings are new or reconstructed to look old
But scratch the surface to see the story untold
With winter approaching the Christmas Markets are here
Selling, Mulled Wine and German beer
Which are needed to wash down the bratwursts
The smell of cinnamon lingers in the Hamburg suburbs
The small Smokey bars play the song ‘Fever’ on repeat
Sung in German but with the same original beat
The sidestreets have cash only drinking dens in downstair cellars
With dodgy girls and dodgy fellas
Another reprobate, on the Reeperbahn
But I liked Hamburg it has a lot of charm
I walk past the neon lights that flicker
And lampposts with a skull and crossbone sticker
The shop fronts with signs that say
“Girls-Girls-Girls…. This Way”
Thai massage and models within
“No thanks mate, I’m just looking”
Past the Star club where the Beatles played
A plaque reads “This is where John Lennon Stayed”
This is a place where you can ‘Let it Be’
Here in Hamburg and St Pauli
