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The New Zealand Railways Magazine, Volume 2, Issue 2 (June 1, 1927)

The Lads Who Keep The Way

The Lads Who Keep The Way.

You Hear About The Docker Lads And Other Men Of Note,

Who try to do their little bit to keep our ships afloat;

But have you heard about the boys who form the Flying Squad?

The boys who pack the sleepers up in weather good and bad.

Of all the sturdy railway men you see from day to day,

There's none to beat the surfacemen—the boys who keep the way.

And if you want the pick of them, then search the Flying Squad,

And there you'll find a bunch of them, and each of them—a lad!

There's Cassidy and Harrigan (from County Donegal)

And soldier Barny Griffiths—who has no home at all!

And then there is O'Calligan, who's quite a man of brawn,

And Mr. Paddy Flannigan who wished he'd ne'er been born.

Then Nigger—he's the handy man—a regular Turk for toil,

And, though he's but a little spark, he's always on the boil!

He'll fry an egg or toss the point with any living man;

But if you say the tea is weak, he'll down you with the can!

The gaffer's known as Bronco Bill. He's always very straight:

But bends his back with right good will—especially when he's late.

His voice is like a gramophone that's always going round,

(It helps to keep inquisitive Inspectors off the ground.)

So nearly every one of them is quite a man of note,

You know them by the cut of them—and also by their coat.

So give them due acknowledgment, in language good or bad,

You'll never find a gang fo men to beat the Flying Squad.

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