Wreck of the Old F.E., The

DESCRIPTION: "It was an old F.E. two B That flew the wintry sky, The pilot had taken a second A.M. To bear him company. He was his man, but he done him wrong." It's cold. The observer gets lost. The Hun attacks. They crash. The pilot endlessly chases the A.M.
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1967 (Ward-Jackson/Lucas-AirmansSongBook)
KEYWORDS: pilot crash humorous
FOUND IN:
REFERENCES (1 citation):
Ward-Jackson/Lucas-AirmansSongBook, pp. 35-37, "The Wreck of the Old F.E." (1 text, tune referenced)
NOTES [97 words]: As printed in Ward-Jackson/Lucas-AirmansSongBook, this should be sung to the tune of "Frankie and Johnny," but the text hints that it might originally have been to "The Wreck of the Hesperus."
Given that the last thing mentioned is the pilot chasing the observer (the "second A.M.," or air mechanic second class), this feels like it needs an additional verse to show that the two are still fighting -- something along the lines of
Now many weeks [months? years?] have gone and passed
The battle lines have changed
But still the pair they circle there
The pilot's rage unchanged. - RBW
Last updated in version 6.8
File: WJL035

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