Went into my place this morning
And I got down on my knees
I couldn't load no coal
All I could do was cough and wheeze.
Got that pneumoconiosis, black lung too
You get one, you've got the other
Either way you lose.
Well, I went to see my doctor
And he looked me over twice
"You got something, Nimrod,
Sure gonna take your life
Got that pneumoconiosis, black lung too
You get one, you've got the other
Either way you lose.
I'm an old coal miner
And I eat dust all my life
I'm too old to learn a new trade
What can I tell my wife?
Got that pneumoconiosis, black lung too
You get one, you've got the other
Either way you lose.
I got thirteen little children
And they've all got to eat
No clothes upon their back
No shoes upon their feet.
Got that pneumoconiosis, black lung too
You get one, you've got the other
Either way you lose.
When I get up in heaven
St Peter's gonna cry
When I tell him the reason
Poor Nimrod had to die.
Got that pneumoconiosis, black lung too
You get one, you've got the other
Either way you lose.
When I get up in heaven
Gonna hug St Peter's neck
When he tells old Paul and Silas
"Give Nim his black lung check.
Got that pneumoconiosis, black lung too
You get one, you've got the other
Either way you lose.
And I got down on my knees
I couldn't load no coal
All I could do was cough and wheeze.
Got that pneumoconiosis, black lung too
You get one, you've got the other
Either way you lose.
Well, I went to see my doctor
And he looked me over twice
"You got something, Nimrod,
Sure gonna take your life
Got that pneumoconiosis, black lung too
You get one, you've got the other
Either way you lose.
I'm an old coal miner
And I eat dust all my life
I'm too old to learn a new trade
What can I tell my wife?
Got that pneumoconiosis, black lung too
You get one, you've got the other
Either way you lose.
I got thirteen little children
And they've all got to eat
No clothes upon their back
No shoes upon their feet.
Got that pneumoconiosis, black lung too
You get one, you've got the other
Either way you lose.
When I get up in heaven
St Peter's gonna cry
When I tell him the reason
Poor Nimrod had to die.
Got that pneumoconiosis, black lung too
You get one, you've got the other
Either way you lose.
When I get up in heaven
Gonna hug St Peter's neck
When he tells old Paul and Silas
"Give Nim his black lung check.
Got that pneumoconiosis, black lung too
You get one, you've got the other
Either way you lose.
Contributed by Dead End - 2012/9/4 - 09:42
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Scritta da Nimrod Workman – nomen omen – nelle miniere del Kentucky dall’età di 14 anni e per oltre 40 anni, sindacalista, compagno di lotte della leggendaria Mother Jones e protagonista della “Battle of Blair Mountain” del 1921, il più sanguinoso scontro armato mai verificatosi negli USA dopo la Guerra Civile, quando nella contea di Logan, West Virginia, i minatori in sciopero si scontrarono in una vera e propria battaglia contro crumiri e forze dell’ordine. I morti furono più di un centinaio.
In seguito Nimrod Workman, avendo contratto silicosi e/o antracosi e/o pneumoconiosi come la maggior parte dei suoi compagni, si battè per il riconoscimento degli indennizzi per le malattie professionali. A partire dagli anni 70 divenne un apprezzato folksinger dalla ruvida, tesa, gemente voce blues, scavata come il suo viso consunto dalla vita e dal lavoro.