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Bargery Number 428
Music Notation
Music (Given or Suggested) Poem
Printer or Publisher
Author William McGonagall (
Composer
Performer
Earliest Date 1880
Evidence for Earliest Date The poem cites details that only became known in 1880
Latest Date
Evidence for Latest Date
Source of Text McGonagall On Line Website
Where Printed
Roud -
Parsed Title Tay Bridge Disaster, The
First Line Beautiful Railway Bridge of the Silv'ry Tay!
Source of Music
Variant Set
Comments on Song
Source Title The Tay Bridge Disaster
Other Imprints
Related Songs ns008

Tay Bridge Disaster, The

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First line "Beautiful Railway Bridge of the Silv'ry Tay!" Is the only piece that acknowledges the finding of the enquiry.  McGonnagall overestimates the number of lives lost. As a true Scot, he sets the season as New Year rather than Christmas.

Beautiful Railway Bridge of the Silv'ry Tay!
Alas! I am very sorry to say
That ninety lives have been taken away
On the last Sabbath day of 1879,
Which will be remember'd for a very long time.

'Twas about seven o'clock at night,
And the wind it blew with all its might,
And the rain came pouring down,
And the dark clouds seem'd to frown,
And the Demon of the air seem'd to say-
"I'll blow down the Bridge of Tay."

When the train left Edinburgh
The passengers' hearts were light and felt no sorrow,
But Boreas blew a terrific gale, [note 1]
Which made their hearts for to quail,
And many of the passengers with fear did say-
"I hope God will send us safe across the Bridge of Tay."

But when the train came near to Wormit Bay,
Boreas he did loud and angry bray,
And shook the central girders of the Bridge of Tay
On the last Sabbath day of 1879,
Which will be remember'd for a very long time.

So the train sped on with all its might,
And Bonnie Dundee soon hove in sught,
And the passengers' hearts felt light,
Thinking they would enjoy themselves on the New Year,
With their friends at home they lov'd most dear,
And wish them all a happy New Year.

So the train mov'd slowly along the Bridge of Tay,
Until it was about midway,
Then the central girders with a crash gave way,
And down went the train and passengers into the Tay!
The Storm Fiend did loudly bray,
Because ninety lives had been taken away,
On the last Sabbath day of 1879,
Which will be remember'd for a very long time.
 
As soon as the catastrophe came to be known
The alarm from mouth to mouth was blown,
And the cry rang out all o'er the town,
Good Heavens! the Tay Bridge is blown down,
And a passenger train from Edinburgh,
Which fill'd all the peoples hearts with sorrow,
And made them for to turn pale,
Because none of the passengers were sav'd to tell the tale
How the disaster happen'd on the last Sabbath day of 1879,
Which will be remember'd for a very long time.

It must have been an awful sight,
To witness in the dusky moonlight,
While the Storm Fiend did laugh, and angry did bray,
Along the Railway Bridge of the Silv'ry Tay,
Oh! ill-fated Bridge of the Silv'ry Tay,
I must now conclude my lay
By telling the world fearlessly without the least dismay,
That your central girders would not have given way,
At least many sensible men do say,
Had they been supported on each side with buttresses,
At least many sensible men confesses,
For the stronger we our houses do build,
The less chance we have of being killed.

 

3 across Articles in this Category: click a link

Lamentable Lines on the Tay Bridge...

bar210: Dates ----~1880|

First line "Unto my sad heart rending tale" features the usual motifs but gives no substantial detail of the event. It wildly overestimates the numbers killed, stating...

Tay Bridge Disaster

bar427: Dates ----~----|

From Farewell to steam by Don Bilston. The song gives the details of the train and names David Mitchell of Dundee as the driver. The song describes...

Tay Bridge Disaster, The

bar428: Dates 1880~1879|

First line "Beautiful Railway Bridge of the Silv'ry Tay!" Is the only piece that acknowledges the finding of the enquiry.  McGonnagall overestimates the number of lives lost....

Tay Bridge Disaster, In Memory of the

bar175: Dates 1880~1880|

First line "The Bridge, the Bridge, the wondrous Bridge" seems to be the text on which bar659 is based. It starts by admiring the engineering of the...

Tay Bridge Disaster, The

bar429: Dates 1879~1880|

First line "In this gay and festive season," emphasises that the disaster happened during the Christmas season. It also gives some technical detail about the causes of...

Tay Bridge is Broken and I'm come to...

bar420: Dates ----~----|

A children's game song. 

Tay Bridge Disaster (659)

bar659: Dates 1880~----|

First line "Ye'll all have ye heard about the brig that spanned the river Tay" is a version of 175 ~ In Memory of the Tay Bridge...

Fall of Tay Bridge

bar660: Dates 1880~----|

First line "You people of Scotland I pray give attention" lists 23 victims by name and identifies a further 8 by their relationship to a named victim....

Tay Bridge Disaster (661)

bar661: Dates 1879~1880|

First line "The wintry wind blew loud and chill", was printed in the Dundee Courier of 6th January 1880 [Ref: British Newspaper Archive]. The poem was written...

The Tay Bridge disaster 1879

ns008: Dates ----~----|

The disaster has been well documented and the story will not detain us here. The salient points to bear in mind when looking at the songs and...

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