Empire Hotel ~ John Cunningham ~ Original Song

A bit of a ghost story. The date is 29th December, 1990;
It was starting to rain as I got off the train
The London air was musty and dank
I bought an evening paper and I started to read
As I waited at the taxi rank
"It's fifty years today" the editorials say
"The blitz of London Town
They bombed us for days
They bombed us in waves
As we huddled in the Underground"
At last I got a cab, I jumped in the back
Told the young man I'd need a room for the night
Didn't know the place, liked the look of his face
Anywhere he chose for me would be right
The taxi man drove me to the Empire Hotel
And dropped me outside the front door
Said "You can have this ride on me
You can have it for free
Tomorrow I turn 24"
I went up to my room
Looked around in the gloom
Was like a relic from the past
I crawled into bed
I laid down my head
Very soon I was sleeping fast
I awoke with a jolt
Air raid sirens were wailing
Bombs were crashing
Searchlights were flashing
Outside my window
I saw St Paul's Cathedral
A black silhouette against a red burning sky
I ran out to the night but it was suddenly night
I found an old man in a cab
I told him what had happened, he started to smile
And here's the reply that came back
He said ""There's no such place as the Empire Hotel
It was destroyed during the war"
But you can have a ride on me, you can have it for free
Today I turned 74."

[@CallYouWhoosh]

Brilliant song and a fantastic story line! Love it.