The Ballad of the Key Bridge

The moon was low on the Patapsco's tide A quiet hum where the big ships ride The container vessel, Dali was her nameSlipping out in the pre-dawn flame Her lights went out, a sudden dread A mayday call for the trouble ahead She lost her power, she lost her way At the start of a Baltimore day Oh, the Francis Scott Key is coming down A twisted crown on a working town

And the water's cold, the silence deep For the promises the river can't keep Steel and sorrow in the morning gray Another landmark washed away Eight souls were there on the concrete span Just mending holes, the work of man Then a sound like thunder, a terrible groan A skeleton of steel was overthrown They closed the lanes with a hurried plea

But some were caught by the destiny Of a pillar struck in the murky gloom Sealing a cold and watery tomb Oh, the Francis Scott Key is coming down A twisted crown on a working town And the water's cold, the silence deep For the promises the river can't keep Steel and sorrow in the morning gray Another landmark washed away

And the headlines fly from coast to coast Of the bridge we loved and the lives we lost While in the background, the old drums beat Of politics on a troubled street The world keeps spinning its usual pace Another fight for the highest place But here, the port is choked and still By a broken piece of iron will Oh, the Francis Scott Key has fallen down

A twisted crown on a working town And the water's cold, the silence deep For the promises the river can't keep Steel and sorrow in the morning gray Another landmark washed away