They came in the summer talking of new lives Packed us in trucks and took us all away We drove onwards and we sailed northwards Till we reached a town on a bay Now we go out late to catch the low tide Then we wade out far, as far as we can Catching cockles on the sand flats Of this strange and foreign land Sometimes it's quiet at the seafront But I need to find some work or we don't eat Cause there's no job too small for me now When there's so many back home I need to keep They said you've got such a big family I said I do sir and I trust I will to the end But it gets cold here by Christmas In a strange and foreign land This waters cold, colder than the journey On the long road we took to bring us here From Fujian, Moscow, Berlin and Dover To a bed in a house in Lancashire But It's getting dark and I need to find the shoreline My voice is weak and I can't shout the man I can't swim and I can't get any help here In this strange and foreign land When I look back what do I remember Not the wind or the waters covering me Not the cries of my poor brothers As they surrendered to the sea I still recall my struggle To reach the safety of the sand How could I ever Feel so grateful To this strange and foreign land How could I ever Feel so grateful To this strange and foreign land