When coal was king way back then
Work was hard, boys became men
Each generation followed line on line
Fathers and sons went down the mine
Blood was shed and lives were lost
Families would have to count the cost
Of putting food upon the table
Earning as much as they were able
Digging deep in the bowels of the earth
Each man proud of his own worth
Then after all the years they grafted
They were well and truly shafted
The pits were closed, the work was gone
The miners wondered what when wrong
Their world was turned upside down
Life was changed in their hometown
They'd taken the pits along with their pride
On that dark, dark day the community died
The brass band played its very best
And the colliery was finally laid to rest
With a requiem solemn as befits
The mournful day they took the pits
© Marian Barker
