That winter's night the sky did glow br A flaming amber 'neath the stars, br As the city blazed the bombs lit up br The old cathedral spire, br Wave after endless wave they came br The whining drones the sounds from hell, br That echoed through the searchlights br And the anti-aircraft fire. br br The city folk were helpless br As they saw their homes and streets destroyed, br The factories and the workshops br One by one were wiped away, br They watched as the cathedral burned br And saw its mighty roof collapse, br That smouldered through the morning br In the cold light of the day. br br As the city lay in ruins br And the fallen bricks did fill the streets, br There was a sense of disbelief br So pitiful the sight, br The stench of death did linger through br That still and hushed November air, br Five hundred lives or more they said br Were lost upon that night. br br As years did pass the city grew br And rose again from fire and flame, br Yet no one shall forget that time br Engrained for evermore, br Within the hearts of young and old br For made from charred and fallen beams, br A cross stands on the altar now br To show the cost of war. br br (In memory of those killed during the Coventry air raid on the night of 14th November 1940.