I woke this morning with a profound need to sing this song, remembering how my grandmother Suzie Villa Vicencio sang it to me as a child in the early 1970's in our house in Johannesburg. She was quite old then and struggled to remember the words, she began each section with "See how..." I thought it's how it was written, but from reading the above, I realize that she was merely repeating those lines in order to try and remember the words. I used to make her sing it over and over again, it was oddly comforting, sitting at her knee, listening. I don't remember more than anyone else who have commented above unfortunately. But it is quite special knowing that there is a handful of people who were also touched by this song in the world.

All I remember is:

See how the lights of London burning
soft and gently falls the snow
T'was his blue eyes that once enticed me
From my happy home to roam

Oh forgive me mother dear, forgive me
Let me rest my head once more
Although you've turned me from your bosom
do not turn me from your door

See how my sisters are against me
and my brothers are the same
but my old father he still loves me
Mother hangs her head in shame

See how my clothes all torn and tattered
my baby in my arms...

*It is probably a hodge lodge bastardized version of the real lyrics and also only a small piece, but it's what I remember her singing. I guess it's like oral story-telling that gets passed down through the generations, it changes and metamorphosizes.