Coal in the Family

Coal in the Family

There is a different breed of people
Like my Mom And Dad
Who decided to work down in the depths
Because coal was high in demand

Now my Daddy had tried his honest best
To go down under that earth
But the fear got the very best of him
And Claustrophobia dimmed its worth

So he moved up and on to better things
But my Mama stayed down below
To endure the men not wanting her there
So her days were long and slow

She was harassed and shunned
And she took their abuse
But she vowed to stay the course
Til 20 years she couldn’t take no more, a hell under earth it proved

But during those year she got to drinkin
To dull the hard work and pain
I don’t blame her one bit for her release
And never going back again

Now years have gone by and the days gone fast
Mom and Dad still reminisce
About the time they spent in the dirty coal mines
Where Underneath lies the evidence

Of the sacrifice made by women and men
Through the years going down the line
To harness this home grown energy
They don’t fondly remember that mine…