Sardonic complaint about the dangerous lack of lights on locomotives.
We have a district railway co
Economising with lights,
With some intent, it seems, to throw
The pointsmen¹ into frights ;
When trains arrive with only one
Where erstwhile they had two
We simply ask you Mr. Fun [Note 102.1]
What is a man to do?
Although we've railway accidents upon us by the score
If this be true, we may expect experience of more;
And then we 'spose we'll have some trembling pointsman 'at the bar(1)' [Note 102.2]
We are a merry family, we are, we are, we are!