Say, did you see him walking? It was early this morning
He passed by your house on his way to the coal
He was tall, he was slender, and his blue eyes so tender
His occupation was miner, West Virginia his home
It was just about noon, I was feeding the children
Ben Moseley come running for to give us the news
Number eight is all flooded, many men are in danger
And we don't know their number, but we fear they're all doomed
So I picked up the baby and I left all the others
For to comfort each other and pray for our own
There's Timmy, fourteen, and there's John not much younger
Soon their own time will be coming to go down the black hole
Now if I had the money to do more than just feed them
I'd give them good learning, the best could be found
And when they grew up they'd be checkers and weighers
And not spend their life drilling in the dark underground
And it's what will I tell to my three little children?
And what will I tell his dear mother at home?
And it's what will I tell to my poor heart that's dying?
My heart that's surely dying since my darling is gone
Say, did you see him walking? It was early this morning
He passed by your house on his way to the coal
He was tall, he was slender, and his blue eyes so tender
His occupation was miner, West Virginia his home
He passed by your house on his way to the coal
He was tall, he was slender, and his blue eyes so tender
His occupation was miner, West Virginia his home
It was just about noon, I was feeding the children
Ben Moseley come running for to give us the news
Number eight is all flooded, many men are in danger
And we don't know their number, but we fear they're all doomed
So I picked up the baby and I left all the others
For to comfort each other and pray for our own
There's Timmy, fourteen, and there's John not much younger
Soon their own time will be coming to go down the black hole
Now if I had the money to do more than just feed them
I'd give them good learning, the best could be found
And when they grew up they'd be checkers and weighers
And not spend their life drilling in the dark underground
And it's what will I tell to my three little children?
And what will I tell his dear mother at home?
And it's what will I tell to my poor heart that's dying?
My heart that's surely dying since my darling is gone
Say, did you see him walking? It was early this morning
He passed by your house on his way to the coal
He was tall, he was slender, and his blue eyes so tender
His occupation was miner, West Virginia his home
Contributed by Bernart - 2013/7/2 - 11:25
×
![]()
Note for non-Italian users: Sorry, though the interface of this website is translated into English, most commentaries and biographies are in Italian and/or in other languages like French, German, Spanish, Russian etc.
Parole e musica di Jean Ritchie
Dall’album “Clear Waters Remembered” pubblicato nel 1974
Una canzone che si riferisce al disastro minerario di Hominy Falls, West Virginia, accaduto il 26 maggio del 1968 quando 25 minatori rimasero intrappolati nei pozzi a causa di un allagamento. Quattro di loro morirono…
“… Era mattino presto, lui passò accanto a casa nostra diretto verso la miniera. Era alto, snello, i suoi occhi azzurri erano così dolci. Era un minatore, West Virginia il suo paese…”