And there were mermaids -- weren't there? --
Sweet silver mermaids
All through that grey Trafalgar Square,
Such silver mermaids

They were young, and they were fiar
They brushed their bronze and dusky hair,
And whispered, "Come, Sad Stephen, come and play here"

"You will love, you will be loved
You will grow up, and do so much
You will be strong, you will be sung
By all the mermaids Silver mermaids"

And once they'd sung their satin song,
They beckoned to me from the fog --
They spread their arms and lifted
Pale-portrait facesI was taken

To their coral-cavern halls,
To rooms with oyster shells for walls,
To sandy nooks, and pearly books, and ivory dolls

In ivory stalls, in ivory stalls

And there were mermaids -- weren't there?
Sweet silver mermaids
All through that wan, forgotten square,
Silver mermaids

They were young, and they were fair
They brushed their bronze and dusky hair
And whispered, "Come, Sad Stephen, come"
And I was taken

Was I wrong? Should I have run?
I wanted all, I wanted young
And portrait facesI was taken

Did I love? I didn't care
Did I grow up? Well, unaware
And was I strong? And was I sung?
How do I haunt Trafalgar fog
And find I want so much, still want --

And no more mermaids
No more mermaids