The Lonely Seam
When first masel’ in Mother Earth,
For long I lay alone,
Then mankind recognised my worth,
And my solitude was gone.
It was then the early miners came,
I watched them, sad to say.
As toil broke doon, an wracked their frame,
As they howked my coal away.
From that day on I understood,
The beauty in their smile,
An’ kent that we’d be freen’s for good,
Such was their hamely style.
I’m hard tae shift frae my abode,
I’m sweert tae leave ma hame,
Concealed frae view beneath the sod,
Sharing a common name.
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Yet still for centuries they came,
Tae win frae me my coal,
Where mother nature built my hame,
Doon in this pitch black hole.
An, so it wis year after year,
Sad faces came and went,
The colliers driven on by fear,
Their lives in bondage spent.
Some lie in graves wi’ me below
There’s ithers on the hill,
Who did to make the fireside glow,
Tae tame the winters chill.
An’ thousands mair their lungs destroyed,
Gasped desperately for breath,
Nae longer fit tae be employed,
They lingered on for death. |
I shared the problems of their lives,
Felt a’ their aches an pains,
I ken’t their sweethearts an their wives,
An’ the names o’ a’ their weans.
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Ither yins ha’e made their mark,
In state an world affairs.
They raised their voices from the dark,
To banish toil worn cares.
An’ some wae talent at their haun,
Spent unrewarded years,
For want o’ educations dawn,
Their genius died in tears.
For long I watched their grimy work,
In the caverns of the mine,
Where dangers seem tae ever lurk,
Where the sun can never shine.
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When death stretched out its cruel fang,
I shared wae them their fate,
And when explosions final bang,
Crushed them at such a rate.
But steadily they gathered strength,
Tae stand on union ground,
Their message spread the country’s length,
Far reaching was its sound.
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In twenty six in sheer despair ,
They left me in sombre mood,
Locked out for fighting for their share
The pulleys idle stood.
For half a year they struggled on,
Tae secure a better deal.
But faced wi’ being on their own,
Starvation set the seal.
I shook their haun’ on their return,
Fair prood tae see them back.
But sadness made my heart strings burn.
For the ones who faced the sack.
Dark shadows wae the thirties came,
Poverty an’ the dole,
The slump in Wall street got the blame.
There was little need for coal.
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When the war broke oot in thirty nine,
It was their finest hour,
Producing coal from every mine,
The machines of war to power.
Then nineteen forty seven came,
At last they won their plea,
An’ raised on high their flag o’ fame
Oh what a sight to see.
In seventy two and seventy four,
They struck for better pay,
An settled many an earlier score,
As their unity held sway.
An’ now I hear mair modern things,
Like nuclear, gas and oil,
Will quickly make the changes ring,
An’ leave me ‘neath the soil. |
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But pay attention tae my tale,
Tho’ these things man may get,
You mark my word I’m no that stale,
They’ll come to take me yet.
Weel I ha’e mine when they were slaves,
Frae morn tae settin’ sun,
Howkin’ tae dig their early graves,
For coppers in the ton.
Nae silly notions then were thoucht,
For me my coal tae keep,
Their life wis such a dreary lot,
Baith life and labour cheap.
Don’t heed the self-appointed sage,
Who thinks my time is bye,
As rockets in this modern age,
Speed upwards to the sky.
Man may go up the heavens tae see,
His prowess thus tae show,
But it was never meant tae be,
For me to stay below.
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Heat, light and power is mine to give,
Tae nations in their need,
For long I’ve helped mankind tae live,
And millions yet I’ll feed.
When first as partners we became,
In the darkness oh the mine,
I thought we’d ever share oor hame,
Until the end oh time
I weary for your hame spun cheer,
Tae shake your toil-worn haun’
Remain I will year after year,
An see how things are gaun.
Come back tae me, come back my freen,
Come back don’t have a doubt.
Im lonely as I’ve ever been
Since first your licht went out.
By: George Montgomery
Many thanks for the email George
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