"Steel Men" lyrics

Steel men, hey
Working on a bridge of steel
Working on a bridge of steel

Out on the rocky western coast
Of Vancouver by the sea
At a place that's known as Second Narrows
They were building a bridge of steel
Well, they hammered and they cut and they riveted
And the welding torches were bright
Making a strap on a river's back
When upon one fatal night

Steel men, hey
Working on a bridge to cross that water
Steel men, ho
Working on a bridge of steel

Well, it happened on the eighteenth day of June
Back in nineteen fifty plus eight
People were fishing from the shore
The day was getting late
Now the wind was tugging at the maple trees
But a steel man knows no fear
If somebody wanted to bridge the Pacific
Well, a steel man would be there

Steel men, hey
Working on a bridge to cross that water
Steel men, ho
Working on a bridge of steel

Well, all of a sudden now, the wind picked up
And it blew as hard as it could
And that steel bridge swayed like a leaf in the breeze
And it snapped like a stick of wood
Now the girders buckled and the rivets broke
And the water heard the cry
And that steel bridge shook off the working men
Like a hound dog shakes off flies

Steel men, hey
Working on a bridge to cross that water
Steel men, ho
Working on a bridge of steel

Eighteen men just as hard as nails
And as eager as a brand new bride
And as the clock on the tower said quarter of four
All eighteen had died

Steel men, hey
Working on a bridge to cross that water
Steel men, ho
Working on a bridge of steel
Steel men, ain't going back
To a wife and daughter
Steel men, hey
Living and dying by steel
Living and dying by steel
Living and dying by steel
Living and dying by steel