Coal Dust on the Fiddle
Coal dust on the fiddle,
Coal dust on the bow,
Daughters of the mountain,
Working down below.
Coal dust on my body,
Coal dust in my soul,
Sisters in the coal mine,
Women digging coal.
Some people say that it’s unlucky
To have women down a mine,
So they worked them on the surface,
Picking stones from off the line.
But they fought the superstitious
For rights of work and pay,
And managed tghe harrassments
They met along the way.
When Nancy started working there
The men all laid a trap,
But when she couldn’t find her dinner-pail
She stole the bosses snap.
Digging coal to feed your family
And to keep them from the cold.
No support from state or husband,
Put those monthly pains on hold.
Libby Lindsay fought some battles
To make mining safe for all.
Fought for training, fought for bathrooms,
Closed the peepholes in the wall.
And they fought to join the union,
Went on strike and went to jail.
Some moved on and some got married,
Some were killed but no-one failed.
Some people say that it’s unlucky
To have women down a mine,
But they’re working at the coal-face,
And they’re doing it just fine.
Coal Dust on the Fiddle © Bill Adair/Sad Jeb Music 2019
Music and lyrics are the copyright of Bill Adair. You may use the songs and you may print the lyrics in order to learn them but you may not reproduce any of this material in written, printed or recorded form, online or offline, for any other purpose than your own personal use without permission from the copyright owner. The use of any of the content, written or recorded, for any commercial or profitmaking purpose online or offline is totally prohibited.
