The Montreal Tramway Song

(I heard this song sung when I was a Boy Scout in Montreal -- we sang a lot in the Scouts -- but never really knew it. So not long ago, I asked about it on a mailing list for Canadian folksingers, and one of the regulars was kind enough to send me this -- GF)

     "This is a combination of what I remember form my - ah, youth – and what Henry Heilig sent me. It's by Wade Hemsworth but with collaboration by a number of his friends and cronies at the time including Joe and Esther Heilig.
     Cheers, Judith http://www.yorku.ca/judithc"

The Montreal Tramway

   There is a wonderful institution
in the Montreal City constitution
it is the pride of al the nation
the Montréal system of [pron. as in French] transportation,

[chorus - ]

   En avant, s'il-vous-plait! and we'll sing

   Ay ay ay
   It's the Montréal Tramway
   City Councillor, Windsor-Peel,
   La rue Guy-Guy (pronounce English and French)
   And Beaver Hall Hill.

   [option: all French pronunciation: Beaver 'all 'ill]

   Well you go to the Forum to see hocKEY
and you take the streetcar number three
but at Bleury de inspector make de motorman stop
and he send de car down to de shop,

   En avant, s'il-vous-plait!...

   It is the tramway mentali-ty
to laugh at death and fatali-ty
courageous fellows who aren't afraid
to slam de door on poor old lady -

   En avant, s'il-vous-plait!...

   Well you get dat feeling at Atwater,
that terrible feeling dat you must pass water!
You try and try your very best,
but you can't get out till Montreal West!