Martin Carthy - Springhill Mine Disaster lyrics

In the town of Springhill Nova Scotia Deep in the heart of the Cumberland Mine There's blood on the coal and the miners lie In roads that never saw sun nor sky Roads that never saw sun nor sky In the town of Springhill you don't sleep easy Often the earth would tremble and roll When the earth is restless miners die Bone and blood is the price of coal Bone and blood is the price of coal In the town of Springhill Nova Scotia Late in the year of 58 The day still comes and the sun still shines But it's dark as the grave in the Cumberland Mine Dark as the grave in the Cumberland Mine Down at the coal face miners working Rattle of the belts and the cutter blades Then a rumble of rock and the walls close round Living and the dead men two miles down Living and the dead men two miles down Twelve men lay two miles from the pitshaft Twelve men lay in the dark and sang Long hot days in the miner's tomb It was three foot wide by a hundred long Three foot wide by a hundred long Three days pa**ed and the lights gave out When the leading man got up and said There's no more water nor light nor bread So we'll live on songs of hope instead Live on songs of hope instead Listen for the shouts of the bareface miners Listen through the rubble for the rescue team Six hundred feet of coal and slag Hope imprisoned in a three-foot seam Hope imprisoned in a three-foot seam Eight days pa**ed and some were rescued Leaving the rest to die alone Through all their lives they dug a grave Two miles of earth for a marking stone Two miles of earth for a marking stone