Salt air eats my steel ribs slow
Forty years of coming and going
Cranes still dance where tall ships blow
Harbor keeps what harbor's knowing
Sun sinks low on Circular Quay
Shadows stretch across the bay
Another day has had its say
Night shift wakes to earn its pay
Harbor rust don't shine no more
But I remember every shore
Where wool and wheat and workers bore
The weight of what this city's for
Harbor rust don't shine no more
Just watching from the harbor floor
Opera sails catch final light
Ferries cut the water tight
My wheels froze on this siding track
Since the last train headed back
Sun sinks low on Circular Quay
Shadows stretch across the bay
Another day has had its say
Night shift wakes to earn its pay
Harbor rust don't shine no more
But I remember every shore
Where wool and wheat and workers bore
The weight of what this city's for
Harbor rust don't shine no more
Just watching from the harbor floor
Coal dust settled in my seams
Back when steam ruled harbor dreams
Now containers stack like glass
Ghosts don't need a boarding pass
Bridge climb lights paint the sky
Tourists snap and locals sigh
I've hauled the bones of this old town
Before the towers rose up brown
Harbor keeps its quiet crown
While I just slowly settle down
Harbor rust don't shine no more
But I remember every shore
Where wool and wheat and workers bore
The weight of what this city's for
Harbor rust don't shine no more
Just watching from the harbor floor
Morning comes with diesel roar
New ships dock at Barangaroo
Steel ribs groan but hold the line
Harbor rust keeps harbor time
Harbor rust don't shine no more
But I remember every shore
Where wool and wheat and workers bore
The weight of what this city's for
Harbor rust don't shine no more
Just watching from the harbor floor
Yeah, watching from the harbor floor
Tide turns slow beneath my frame
Sydney knows my weathered name
