Thursday, February 6, 2020

TheCoalMiner©2020TonyFallon0206


TheCoalMiner©2020TonyFallon0206

When I was a teen my father said get out of this town
I do not want any of my sons working underground
So I went into the army where I'd fly a chopper
With shrapnel in my leg I could not become a copper

When I returned from the army the mine was understaffed
And I was offered a job mining coal in the main shaft 
I worked forty hours I did not have strength for overtime
It keeps food on the table and I got used to the grime

The coal produced is used to create electricity 
But also produces smog which is bad publicity
It drives steam engine trains and provides much heat for smelting
Some say we are at fault for the polar ice cap melting

Despite my father's warnings I guess mining's in my blood
We know the present danger is a cave-in or a flood
Yet on a Saturday night in the local there's much joy
With all the locals pals I grew up with as a young boy

Every day of the year I come out from that dirty hole
My hands and face covered with the dust and dirt of black coal
It clings to my hair and pores my pants and my under shirt 
And it feels like all my skin is covered with clinging dirt

My family has been down in pits for generations
We have all heard distant rumbles and felt mild vibrations 
Daily we pray we will all make out of this wretched cave
Or that death comes quickly to us all should this be our grave

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