The title is a reference to a quote by American Quaker poet John Greenleaf Whittier from his work entitled Maud Muller - Pamphlet ......."of all sad words of tongue or pen, the saddest are these, it might have been."
The fire engine at the club is Engine 51, the 1974 Ward LaFrance Ambassador assigned to Universal Studios at the time. It was previously featured in the TV series EMERGENCY!. Its 51 markings are, however, covered up in this scene. Interestingly, it has appeared as Engine 51 in some other Quincy episodes.