New Year Bells had been ringing,
All of Scotland was singing,
The old year had died,
And the new had been born.
As the news of disaster
From Ibrox came spreading,
The news that would cause
A whole nation to mourn
Two great goals had been scored,
In the last dying moments.
Jimmy Johnstone for Celtic,
For Rangers’ Colin Stein.
Their supporters all cheered them,
With voices of thunder,
Not knowing what waited on staircase 13
Sixty-six people died
Some in flower of their manhood,
When the fences gave way
And the barriers bent,
Seasoned Glasgow policemen
their faces all tearstained,
With brave efforts, endeavoured
far worse to prevent.
All of Glasgow enjoined them,
For the first time in history.
In the Glasgow Cathedral
no Billy’s, no Dan’s
But the Old Firm united
to pray for their victims,
Of a tragedy worse in the memory of man.
New Year Bells had been ringing,
All of Scotland was singing,
The old year had died,
And the new had been born.
As the news of disaster
From Ibrox came spreading,
The news that would cause
A whole nation to mourn.
Ibrox Stadium
