From the recording Gold and Coal
We came across this poem in the Oxford book of traditional verse.The structure of the poem, with its regular meter and rhyme, is steady like a heartbeat, matching the rhythm of those long, hard days underground.
There’s a profound respect in these lines for the labor, for the life lived in the shadows but with a spirit that refuses to be dimmed. And there’s loss too—the passing of an era, the decline of a community. It’s a reflection on change, the inexorable march of time that spares no one, not even the toughest among us.
For anyone who’s ever felt the weight of their work, who’s ever looked back with a mix of pride and sorrow, this one hits home.
Music by :
Cassie Anne MacDonald SOCAN
Maggie Jane MacDonald SOCAN
Lyrics By:
Traditional:
Cassie Anne MacDonald SOCAN
Maggie Jane MacDonald SOCAN
Lyrics
Who will replace this old miner
Who will take my place below
Who will follow the darkness down
Dear God when I go
Who will wield my heavy pick
That I did wield for 40 years
And who will hew the black, black coal
Dear God when I go
Who will load 15 tonnes a day
Who will strain his bending back
And who will work, sweat and ache like hell
Dear God when I go
And who will cry when the roof caves in
And all my friends are dying around
Who will will sing the miner’s hymn?
Dear God when I go
For 40 years I worked the mine
For 40 years I gave my life
And who will replace this old coal miner
When I’ve paid God my price
Dear God when I go