Ferry Cross the Mersey

"Ferry Cross the Mersey" (sometimes written Ferry 'Cross the Mersey) is a song written by Gerry Marsden. It was first recorded by his band Gerry and the Pacemakers and released in late 1964 in the UK and in 1965 in the United States.

It was a hit on both sides of the Atlantic, reaching number six in the United States and number eight in the UK.The song is from the film with the same name and was released on its soundtrack album. In the mid-1990s a musical theatre production also titled Ferry Cross the Mersey related Gerry Marsden's Merseybeat days; it premiered in Liverpool and played in the UK, Australia, and Canada.

"Mersey" refers to the River Mersey in northwest England, a river that flows into the Irish Sea at Liverpool. The song is often misspelled as "Ferry 'Cross the Mersey", but according to the song's lyrics, the track is correctly titled "Ferry Cross the Mersey". "Cross" is not a contraction of "Across", rather, it is a request of the ferry: "Ferry, cross the Mersey.The ferry is the Mersey Ferry, which still runs to Liverpool from Birkenhead and Seacombe on the Wirral.