Illustration of the New River Gorge Bridge near Fayetteville, West Virginia (United States)

Bloody Bones is a water demon that haunted lakes and rivers, attracted by violence and carnage and eats misbehaving children. A tale of a child's encounter with Bloody Bones was recorded by Ninevah Jackson Willis. A young girl became lonely while her parents were gone so she stood beside the stairs and called for someone to come play with her. The girl received a response: a small voice assuring her that it would come soon. Over the course of the night, the girl called for company several more times. Finally, the voice replied that it was coming. The girl remarks on what long fingernails and big teeth the creature has. At the mention of its teeth, Rawhead slyly replies that they are "to eat her up with." The story then cuts to when the girl's parents arrive back home to find the girl's remains, a pile of bloody bones.

West Virginia legend

Bridges over the Tweed river in Berwick upon Tweed, England (United Kingdom)

 
Oh Berwick for me,
Oh Berwick for me,
Sits like a jewel down by the sea,
The pride o’ the North,
So ancient and braw,

Frae the Tyne to the Tweed the best of them all.

Now Berwick’s tradition is ancient and long,
Come sit you a while and I’ll sing you my song,
Every Bounds Day when it comes around,
It’s up on horseback and Riding the Bounds.

Lyrics of Oh Berwick for me

Flier with a drawing of the Munsterbrucke over the Limmat River in Zurich (Switzerland)

 

“When once you have tasted flight, you will forever walk the earth with your eyes turned skyward, for there you have been, and there you will always long to return.”

 Leonardo DaVinci

Flier showing the Golden Gate Bridge over the Oakland Bay in San Francisco, California (United States)

 

"A great city with water barriers and no bridges is like a skyscraper with no elevators. Bridges are a monument to progress."

Joseph Strauss

Drawing of the Transporter Bridge over the Old Port of Marseille (France)

Marseille c'est la plage, le foot, la gratte en pleine chaleur
J'vois les gadjis zoner et faire des béquilles en Fazer
Les flics te font danser le moonwalk à coup d'taser
On s'ennuie toute la nuit on parle, on tourne jusqu'à pas d'heure
Marseille c'est la plage, le foot, la gratte en pleine chaleur
J'vois les gadjis zoner et faire des béquilles en Fazer
Les flics te font danser le moonwalk à coup d'taser
On s'ennuie toute la nuit on parle, on tourne jusqu'à pas d'heure

Lyrics from Marseille c'est...

Soprano

Pont d'Espagne in Cauterets, Hautes Pyréneés (France) painted by Paul Champseix

Sur ces monts des pins aussi vieux que le monde

A leur pied se dèploi una pleinte féconde

Au mileu de ces champs paraissent des hamaux,

de bergers fortunés de nombreux troupaux

From Les Pyréneés de la Bigorre

by Arnaud Abbadie

Flyer depicting the Blackfriars Bridge over the River Thames in London (United Kingdom)

I'm wandering round and round, nowhere to go
I'm lonely in London and London is lonely so
I cross the streets without fear
Everybody keeps the way clear
I know, I know no one here to say hello
I know they keep the way clear
I am lonely in London without fear
I'm wandering round and round here nowhere to go

Beginning of London, London

Song by Caetano Veloso

Flyer with drawing of the London Tower Bridge on the Thames River (United Kingdom)

London calling to the faraway towns
Now war is declared, and battle come down
London calling to the underworld
Come out of the cupboard, you boys and girls
London calling, now don't look to us
Phoney Beatlemania has bitten the dust
London calling, see we ain't got no swing
'Cept for the ring of that truncheon thing
The ice age is coming, the sun's zooming in
Meltdown expected, the wheat is growing thin
Engines stop running, but I have no fear
'Cause London is drowning, and I live by the river

 London Calling Lyrics
The Clash

Flier depicting the Tower Bridge over the Thames River in London (United Kingdom)

I met my girl at Woolwich Pier

Beneath the big cranes standing

And oh, the love I felt for her

It passed all understanding

Took her sailing on the river

Flow sweet river, flow

London town was mine to give her

Sweet Thames flow softly

Made the Thames into a crown

Flow sweet river, flow

Made a brooch of Silver town

Sweet Thames flow softly 

Sweet Thames Flow Softly

Traditional english song

Viaduct in the Furka Oberalp Railway near Andermatt, canton of Uri (Switzerland) painted by Daniele Buzzi

The people of Uri puzzled over and over about the question how to cross the Schöllenen canyon. At last, the president of the local government exclaimed despairingly: "The devil itself shall build a bridge here!" Shortly after the president of the local government had spoken these words, the devil was standing in front of the locals. He suggested them to make a pact: He would build a bridge that was safe, but the first soul to cross the new bridge would belong to him. Soon after the folk agreed to this pact, a new bridge over the canyon was being erected. The people could not decide on a person to send across the bridge, though. Suddenly, a clever peasant had an ingenious idea. He unfastened his billy goat and hounded it to the other side of the bridge. Boiling with rage, the devil grabbed a boulder and threatened to destroy his construction. Thereupon, an old woman came his way and carved a cross in the rock. When the devil saw this, he missed his target and the boulder landed near Göschenen. There it has been lying for centuries now. Since this day, the bridge is called devil's bridge.

Legend of Uri Bridge, near Andermatt

Bridge over a river in the Alps (Switzerland) in a drawing by Emile Cardinaux

The sun-beams streak the azure skies,

And line with light the mountain's brow:

With hounds and horns the hunters rise,

And chase the roebuck thro' the snow.

From rock to rock, with giant-bound,

High on their iron poles they pass;

Mute, lest the air, convuls'd by sound,

Rend from above a frozen mass.

From the poem The Alps at Day break

Samuel Rogers

Montenvers Viaduct in Chamonix, Haute-Savoie (France)

Hast thou a charm to stay the morning-star
In his deep course? So long he seems to pause
On thy bald awful head, O sovran Blanc!
The Arve and Arveiron at thy base
Rave ceaselessly; but thou, most awful Form!
Risest from forth thy silent sea of pines,
How silently! Around thee and above
Deep is the air and dark, substantial, black,
An ebon mass: methinks thou piercest it,
As with a wedge! But when I look again,
It is thine own calm home, thy crystal shrine,
Thy habitation from eternity!

...

Before Sunrise, in the Vale of Chamouni

Samuel Taylor Coleridge.

Flyer showing a drawing of Stone Bridge over the Ebro River in Zaragoza (Spain)

Todo su largo camino

va el Ebro cantando jotas:

a la Virgen del Pilar,

a España y a Zaragoza.

Cuando cruzo la ribera

yo no se lo que me pasa,

que se me vuela un suspiro

y una jota se me escapa.

Años y años lleva el Ebro

cortejando a Zaragoza,

y cuanto más la conoce,

más y más se le enamora.

Traditional Song from Zaragoza

Flier depicting Toledo Bridge over the Manzanares River in Madrid (Spain)

Vraiment, la reine eût près d’elle été laide
Quand, vers le soir,
Elle passait sur le pont de Tolède
En corset noir.
Un chapelet du temps de Charlemagne
Ornait son cou … -
Le vent qui vient à travers la montagne
Me rendra fou.

From Les Rayons et les Ombres

Víctor Hugo

Drawing of the old Almozara Bridge over the Ebro River in Zaragoza (Spain)