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

 

“Go where we may, rest where we will,
Eternal London haunts us still.”

Thomas Moore

Waterloo Bridge over the Thames River in London, England (United Kingdom)

Dirty old river

Must you keep rolling
Flowing into the night?
People so busy
Make me feel dizzy
Taxi light shines so bright

From the song Waterloo Sunset,

by The Kinks

Queen Elizabeth II Bridge over the Thames River between Dartford and Thurrock, England (United Kingdom)

"The Dartford Crossing is a feat of engineering that has played a crucial role in almost every aspect of our daily lives, from delivering essential goods to our shelves and our doorsteps, to visiting friends and family or getting to work."

Mark Bottomley, Lower Thames 

Crossing Programme Director

Tower Bridge over the Thames River in London, England (United Kingdom)

Dear River Thames,
You keep moving along,
Not knowing where you're going,
Or where you've come from.
Your head's in the valley,
Your feet in the sea,
Dear River Thames,
Stay a while, stay a while,
Listen to me.
...

In the lyrics of Dear River Thames

by Richard Digance

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

The sky is cloudy, yellowed by the smoke.
For view there are the houses opposite
Cutting the sky with one long line of wall
Like solid fog: far as the eye can stretch
Monotony of surface & of form
Without a break to hang a guess upon.
…
All hurry on & look upon the ground,
Or glance unmarking at the passers by
The wheels are hurrying too, cabs, carriages
All closed, in multiplied identity.

Poem of London, George Elliot

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

Ancient London Bridge crossing River Thames in London (United Kingdom)

London Bridge is falling down,
Falling down, falling down,
London Bridge is falling down,
My fair Lady.

Build it up with wood and clay,
Wood and clay, wood and clay,
Build it up with wood and clay,
My fair Lady.

Wood and clay will wash away,
Wash away, wash away,
Wood and clay will wash away,
My fair Lady.

English nursery rhyme

Painting of Westminster Bridge over the River Thames in London (United Kingdom)

"It is difficult to speak adequately or justly of London. It is not a pleasant place; it is not agreeable, or cheerful, or easy, or exempt from reproach. It is only magnificent."

Henry James

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

"Until this very instant I'd had absolutely no idea that, of course, Tower Bridge would be there. It was easy enough to fly over it, but the idea of flying through the spans suddenly struck me. I had just ten seconds to grapple with the seductive proposition which few ground attack pilots of any nationality could have resisted. My brain started racing to reach a decision. Years of fast low-level strike flying made the decision simple . ." 

Alan Pollok, RAF pilot who flew his Hawker under the Tower Bridge

Lambeth Bridge crossing the River Thames in London (United Kingdom)

Dear River Thames,

You keep moving along,

Not knowing where you're going,

Or where you've come from.

Your head's in the valley,

Your feet in the sea,

Dear River Thames,

Stay a while, stay a while,

Listen to me.

Song Dear River Thames

Ralph McTell

Millennium Bridge over the River Thames in London (United Kingdom)

Thames. Her intimate greys slicken
and still. She puts on her best black.
Drips necklaces of sodium pearls.
She still takes the long way round
her glacial Ex – the one who left her
another dagger between her ribs of bridges.
She wants him back – his ins and outs
of ice. How he breezed in with promises
of peat, clay. Delicious alluvium.
So she dreams heroic North who creaked
and moaned and made her give, grinding
out her juice. She longs for weight
and cold. The broad shoulders.
The ruthless belly, snow-heavy
and white as the moon.

Poem to the Thames,

Mario Petrucci

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

Old Blackfriars Bridge across the Thames in London (United Kingdom) depicted by William Marlow

And every day there passes by my side,

Up to its western reach, the London tide—

The spring tides of the term. My front looks down

On all the pride and business of the town;

My other fair and more majestic face

For ever gazes on itself below,

In the best mirror that the world can show.

Abraham Cowley, 1668

Tower Bridge on the River Thames in London (United Kingdom)

Nelson's on his column
Ravens are in the Tower
Big Ben never lost his voice
Chimes on every hour
And the fog still rolls off the River Thames
The forecast calls for rain
London Bridge ain't falling down
And some things never change

Across the Thames

Song by Elton John

Bridge over the River Thames in London (United Kingdom) painted by Maximilian Luce

Color, which is under fixed laws, can be taught like music

Charles Blanc

developer of pointillism style

London Tower Bridge crossing the River Thames in London (United Kingdom)

-Eres tú, amigo? -dije.
-Deséale suerte a mi sombrero de copa.
Una dalia de cristal
trazó una línea verde en mi ojo gris.
El cielo estaba afónico como un búho de níquel.
-Adiós, amigo -dije.
-Echa una hogaza y una yema de huevo en mi bombín.
Una bombilla guiñaba entre las hojas de acanto.
Mi corazón yacía como una rosa en el Támesis.

Poem Puente de Londres 

(London Bridge) by Pere Gimferrer

Old Waterloo Bridge over the River Thames in London (United Kingdom) painted by Claude Monet

But in the middle of the river

I finally came to a sudden halt

and an instant later I knew

that my name had just been called.

In my life a new thread materialized, 

new patterns were stitched

that hand waving for me 

on the otherside of Waterloo Bridge.

From the poem Waterloo Bridge

Frank Witte

Westminster Bridge across the River Thames in London (United Kingdom)

Old Thames! thy merry waters run

Gloomily now, without star or sun!

The wind blows o’er thee, wild and loud,

And heaven is in its death-black shroud;

And the rain comes down with all its might,

Darkening the face of the sullen Night.

Excerpt of the poem The Thames

Barry Cornwall

Westminster Bridge crossing the River Thames in London (United Kingdom)