The Last Boat from Bolton by Kevin Day Recorded by Andy Nichols When I close my eyes I can still smell the smoke From the boats that are waiting to load The hatches are open, the mates at the door And I stood on the cut side again I hear the rattle of lock gear, the slamming of gates The rush as the water flows in But no locks now remain and me thinking must change ‘Cos the last boat from Bolton has gone. Chorus : Down the Rossendale valley on a warm sunny day The beat of the hooves echoes on But it’s all in my mind and I wake up to find That the last boat from Bolton has gone I can stand in the car park remembering the tales The wharf it has long since fell down Where the short boats and lighters were tied to the rails All the way to the centre of town Now the juggernaut’s carry what’s left of the trade The cotton bales piled high above Where I worked with me mate’s now a housing estate ‘Cos the last boat from Bolton has gone Chorus At five in the morning I go to sign on The boat’s they are waiting to load The captains are anxious to be under way To get a head start on the road But no longer the din on the old bustling quay The cranes and the wagons rolled on Swapped me shovel for a hoe and that’s how I know That the last boat from Bolton has gone Chorus At Farnesworth wharf the canal’s been filled in The culverts and side weirs have gone Through the Willow trees old the wind it does moan Now the valley has claimed back its own Now, the paddle gear’s rusted on broken down gates And the towpath is all over grown The boats they are gone and for old times I long ‘Cos the last boat from Bolton has gone Chorus Repeat chorus with change of last two lines to The boat’s they are gone and for old times I long But the last boat from Bolton has gone This song, kindly provided by Andy Nichols, was written by Kevin Day and is about the Manchester, Bolton and Bury Canal. It is clearly based on the song ‘Last Train from Bacup’ by Stanley Accrington which is one of my favourite songs about steam trains. Recorded on :