The Flowers of Manchester - Pete Martin

One cold and bitter Thursday in Munich, Germany
Eight great football stalwarts conceded victory
Eight men will never play again who met destruction there
The flowers of English football, the flowers of Manchester
Matt Busby’s boys were flying, returning from Belgrade
This great United family, all masters of their trade
The pilot of the aircraft, the skipper Captain Thain
Three times they tried to take off and twice turned back again
The third time down the runaway disaster followed close
There was slush upon that runaway and the aircraft never rose
It ploughed into the marshy ground, it broke, it overturned
And eight of the team were killed as the blazing wreckage burned
Roger Byrne and Tommy Taylor who were capped for England’s side
And Ireland’s Billy Whelan and England’s Geoff Bent died
Mark Jones and Eddie Colman, and David Pegg also
They all lost their lives as it ploughed on through the snow
Big Duncan he went too, with an injury to his frame
Johnny Berry and Jack Blanchflower will never play again
The great Matt Busby lay there, the father of his team
Three long months passed by before he saw his team again
The trainer, coach and secretary, and a member of the crew
Also eight sporting journalists who with United flew
And one of them Big Swifty, who we will ne’er forget
The finest English ‘keeper that ever graced the net
Oh, England’s finest football team its record truly great
Its proud successes mocked by a cruel turn of fate
Eight men will never play again, who met destruction there
The flowers of English football, the flowers of Manchester