Gerry Marsden of Gerry and the Pacemakers wrote this song in 1964. It was a hit in the UK and the US. On Friday night I took a ferry from Belfast to Liverpool. At the ferry office in Belfast, none of my credit cards worked. It seems they always have problems with American credit cards. I scraped up the necessary pounds leaving just under 3 pounds left. Ouch. No dinner on the ferry; however, I had half a chocolate bar and a bottle of whiskey I had purchased at Bushmills Distillery. By the time everyone was boarded and left Belfast, it was 11:30 pm and I did not want anything but chocolate and whiskey. I slept to the rolling purr of the boat in a cabin with two sets of bunk beds and a bathroom. In the morning I discovered that we had landed on the opposite side of the Mersey River from Liverpool and must take a 15 pound taxi ride through a tunnel. Thanks to an ATM and a great taxi driver, I managed; but the song Marsden wrote played in my head: Life goes on day after day / Hearts torn in every way / So ferry ‘cross the Mersey / ’cause this land’s the place I love / and here I’ll stay / People they rush everywhere / Each with their own secret care / So ferry ‘cross the Mersey / and always take me there / The place I love / People around every corner / They seem to smile and say / We don’t care what your name is boy / We’ll never turn you away / So I’ll continue to say / Here I always will stay / So ferry ‘cross the Mersey / ’cause this land’s the place I love / and here I’ll stay / and here I’ll stay / Here I’ll stay.
What I thought about was not that I wanted to stay in Liverpool, it’s a lovely place, but that we have images of what makes home for us. Marsden’s image was the accepting people who would take him in no matter what. The original lyrics were “ferry cross the river,” not across the river. It was a command not an observation. As I think about the people in my life, there are many who have accepted me for who I am and for that I am thankful. Many are not in my hometown but scattered all over the world. The ferry I would have to imagine would have to cross many rivers, oceans and lakes. It would have to be a cyber ferry.
I am staying at the 100 year old Britannia Adelphi Hotel in the heart of Liverpool. Charles Dickens and Winston Churchill have stayed here. Churchill stayed because there is a bomb shelter on site. The hotel was created to serve American passengers arriving on ships and one of the suites is a duplicate of one of the suites in the Titanic. It is a grand hotel with marble and carvings and statues. Lunch was at the Philharmonic Pub made famous through a statement by Paul McCartney that he wished he could pop into the Phil for a pint and not be recognized.
Tomorrow a Beatles tour.
Leara Rhodes 