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Gavin Ewart

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A Ballad Re-Creation of a Fifties Incident at Barnes Bridge

'Tis the ghost o' Colquhoun an' the ghost o' McBride
That do balcony-lean by yon auld riverside,
An' they baith are sae fou' they can scarcely see —
For they're baith at a party (where booze is free) — 

An' the Sassenachs there wi' their highbrowish speech
Mak' a nebulous nectarine oot o' a peach.
But Colquhoun an' McBride hauld theirsels weil aloof,
Aye drinkin' the drinks that are ower proof.

Nae word do they speak, but they lean an' glower
Wi' th' pissed perfection o' painterly power —
An' as they lean there the sun gaes doun
Like a water-colour o'er London toun,

In a' the sweet tints that the calendars love,
Wi' a braw great pink flush i' the skies above.
Och! They do notice this, tho' their eyes are glazed,
An' baith wi' horror are sair amazed —

Colquhoun turns tae McBride wi' a fine disgust
At the sight o' that distant an' reddenin' dust.
"Mon, but it's horrible!" "Aye, but 'twill pass!"
An' they ply, baith, the gold, unremittin' wee glass!


Note: This haunting is quite a possible one, being
based on an actual incident. Colquhoun and
McBride were two painters of talent from
Glasgow, well-known in the Forties and Fifties.

Page(s) 13

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