Copied from the website of Hubert Dohr, a German folksinger who has also recorded it—with a few errors corrected by me (including the spelling of the author's name).

BED FOR THE NIGHT
(Charlie McGettigan)

1. He was standing on the corner as the sun was going down
He was looking for a contact he had. He had just arrived in town
With a suitcase full of emptiness his clothes are worn and tirred
And he was looking for a bed for the night.

2. And he had a list of numbers that had slipped out of his hands.
An uncle lived in somewhere out in Manchester, he said.
He had come out of a country where the tunnels had no lights,
He was looking for a bed for the night.

CHORUS: Just a bed for the night,
Somewhere warm till the morning light,
And he was looking for a bed for the night.

3. Standing on the corner was a man called Father John.
He said, "Come in from the cold and set you down there, my good man."
And the small talk was of football and the tea tasted so right
And he was looking for a bed for the night. CHORUS

4. There was something in this situation made me realize
That there is always someone with a kindness in their eyes.
So if Father John should hear me—and who knows? He just might—
Hear me say, "Thank you for the bed for the night." CHORUS