“Moses of the Mail”

Description

"It was a dark and stormy night, The snow was falling fast, I stood on Thorpbridge Junction Where the reckless Moses passed." Although there is no description of a wreck, the song ends with the dying words of Moses

Notes

Although the text in MacColl-Shuttle is described as composite, it doesn't make much sense: It is never made clear if there was a serious accident, or if engineer Moses retired after a minor injury, or if the whole thing is just a talltale. The song is said to refer to an actual engineer, Henry "Moses" Poyser, who worked in the 1880s. - RBW

References

  1. MacColl-Shuttle, pp. 8-9, "Moses of the Mail" (1 text, 1 tune)
  2. BI, MacCS08

About

Author: unknown
Earliest date: 1954 (MacColl-Shuttle)
Keywords: train death storm
Found in: Britain(England(West))