The drinking dens are spilling out   There's staggering in the square   There's lads and lasses fall about   And a crackling in the air   Down around the dungeon doors   The shelters and the queues   Everybody's looking for   Somebody's arms to fall into   It's what it is   Thats's what it is now      There's frost on the graves and the monuments   But the taverns are warm in town   People curse the government   And shovel hot food down   The lights are out in the city hall   The castle and the keep   The moon shines down upon it all   The legless and the sleepless      Cold on the tollgate   With the wagons creeping through   Cold on the tollgate   God knows what I could do with you   Thats's what it is   It's what it is now      The garrison sleeps in the citadel With the ghosts and the ancient stones   High on the parapet a Scottish piper stands alone   And high on the wind The highland drums begin to roll   And something from the past just comes and stares into my soul      Cold on the tollgate let the drums beat the tattoo   Cold on the tollgate God knows what I can do with you   And it's what it is   It's what it is now   What it is   's What it is now      And the highwayman stands blowing on his fingers by the green   I've walked inside his shoes before so I always buy his magazine   He's with a local mystery with blood stains on her hands   I like the way she winks at me but I leave her with the highwayman      And it's cold on the tollgate with the Caledonian Blues   Cold on the tollgate God knows what I could do with you   And it's what it is   It's what it is now   What it is   It's what it is now      There's a chink of light, there's a burning wick   There's a lantern in the tower   Wee Willie Winkie with a candlestick   Still writing songs in the wee wee hours   On Charlotte Street I take A walking stick from my hotel   The ghost of Dirty Dick Is still in search of Little Nell   And it's what it is   It's what it is now   Oh what it is   What it is now now now