Bless the fathers, bless the brothers
Bless the sons who pass the time
Standing, waiting, watching
Upon the picket line
You can see the thoughts written on each face
As they watch that L&N roll
And as they see the trucks run by each day
Taking scabs into Jericol
Bless the mothers, bless the sisters
Bless the wives and the daughters too
Who stand beside the miners
Lord, tell them what to do
They can't sit back any longer
You know, they've got to take a stand
'Cos the women in Harlan county
Want to make it a union land
Bless the veterans and disabled
Who can't work in the mines no more
They keep labouring for these striking men
Though they be old and poor
'Cos the union they built for thirty years
They can't stand by and watch it die
Though their hands are worn and their lungs are spent
They'll fight till their final sigh
Bless the miners who are buried
In the coalfields of these great hills
Lord, spirits are among us
Oh how could they be still
On the mountainside of a non-union mine
How could they peaceful lie
There's a reason for the rich to rule
Can you please, Lord, tell us why
Bless the struggles and the trials
In the battle of Jericol
Bless our demand that only union hands
Mine our own homelands coal
May her safety crew be miners
May a pension plan be written down
And, in the pits of Sigmon's Jericol
May the walls come tumblin' down
And, in the pits of Sigmon's Jericol
May the walls come tumblin' down
Bless the sons who pass the time
Standing, waiting, watching
Upon the picket line
You can see the thoughts written on each face
As they watch that L&N roll
And as they see the trucks run by each day
Taking scabs into Jericol
Bless the mothers, bless the sisters
Bless the wives and the daughters too
Who stand beside the miners
Lord, tell them what to do
They can't sit back any longer
You know, they've got to take a stand
'Cos the women in Harlan county
Want to make it a union land
Bless the veterans and disabled
Who can't work in the mines no more
They keep labouring for these striking men
Though they be old and poor
'Cos the union they built for thirty years
They can't stand by and watch it die
Though their hands are worn and their lungs are spent
They'll fight till their final sigh
Bless the miners who are buried
In the coalfields of these great hills
Lord, spirits are among us
Oh how could they be still
On the mountainside of a non-union mine
How could they peaceful lie
There's a reason for the rich to rule
Can you please, Lord, tell us why
Bless the struggles and the trials
In the battle of Jericol
Bless our demand that only union hands
Mine our own homelands coal
May her safety crew be miners
May a pension plan be written down
And, in the pits of Sigmon's Jericol
May the walls come tumblin' down
And, in the pits of Sigmon's Jericol
May the walls come tumblin' down
Contributed by Bernart Bartleby - 2019/9/28 - 16:57
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Scritta da Mary Lou Layne, membro di questa band bluegrass, tutta femminile, proveniente dal Kentucky.
Nella raccolta "They'll Never Keep Us Down: Women's Coal Mining Songs" del 1984.
Testo trovato su Mudcat Café
Durante scioperi come quelli di Brookside (1973) – cui si riferisce il film di Barbara Kopple "Harlan County, USA – di Stearns (1976-1979), di Jericol (1978) e altri, i gruppi organizzati di donne giocarono un ruolo fondamentale. Non solo organizzavano le riunioni ma si confrontavano fisicamente con crumiri e picchiatori delle compagnie minerarie e con poliziotti e soldati. Molte di loro hanno patito il carcere per via delle loro lotte...