[Verse 1]
Is it too early to look back?
Is it too late to change tack?
Grey Street was Betjeman's for keeps
But I was brought up on Durham Street
Rewind the tapes to make the memories

We knew we'd arrived
When we rode down the Tyne
Past polaroid puddles
And skeletal shipyards
In the blink of a bridge's eye

[Pre-Chorus]
Throwing the gauntlet down
In our adopted town

[Chorus]
I couldn't tell you what it means
But I know that the compass reads
North by North East
North by North East

I couldn't tell you what it means
But I know that the compass reads
North by North East
North by North East

[Verse 2]
We ran down Wallsend hills
With Super 8 cameras
Creating our own world
A blueprint for being
Rewind the film to make the memories

Days blind
From the glare on the Tyne
Free wine
From the gallery on Friday night
Meeting my future wife

[Pre-Chorus]
Throwing the gauntlet down
In our adopted town

[Chorus]
I couldn't tell you what it means
But I know that the compass reads
North by North East
North by North East

I couldn't tell you what it means
But I know that the compass reads
North by North East
North by North East

[Outro]
Somehow I know that I'm home when I'm here