Lullaby Of London

The lyrics describe someone walking beside a river in the evening and hearing an old song carried by the wind. The mood shifts between sadness and comfort: the speaker has a “heavy heart” and senses ghosts or troubles nearby, but ends by praying that a child will sleep safely. The song feels like both a lullaby and a protective wish.

Several images mix ordinary city life with the supernatural. The “cars” and “shouts from bars” place the song in a busy urban setting, while “ghosts” and “haunted graves” suggest memories or fears that linger. The stone dancing on the tide is an unusual, dreamlike image: it may suggest something heavy being briefly moved by the flow of life. The north wind carrying an old song makes the past seem present, as if memories can travel through the landscape.

The speaker’s words hold both tenderness and anger. Wishing that the ghosts sleep “down in hell” sounds harsh, but it may express a desire to keep frightening forces away from the child. The final image of bright angels offers reassurance, though it does not erase the earlier unease. The ghosts might be imagined spirits, painful memories, or simply a way to give nighttime fears a shape.