Help me find the lyrics to Labour Song?

February 3, 2024 10:24 AM

I adore Labour Song by Solas on their album Shamrock City. I would love 1) to find the lyrics 2) to find any additional covers. However, my internet skills are failing me. Can I get an AskMeta assist? It feels like this shouldn't be difficult and yet somehow...
posted by jeszac to Media & Arts (4 answers total)

Best answer: I took a shot at it. Best guesses marked with [?]s:

Labour Song - Solas
Come all ye gallant miners who toil beneath the ground
Where you risk your neck, day and day, and danger it abounds.
Where our lives are took for granted, they throw us meager pay
and our belts are getting longer while our children fade away.

Together we must stand boys, divided we will fall.
No more will go below boys, let's heed the union’s call.
Throw your shovels to the ground boys until we’ve had our say,
While our lives are worth far more boys than four lousy bucks a day.

Where are those open miners who motion all the day
to judges in their pockets, they legalize back pay?
They won’t ask about your mortgage or what your children need
As they dine with city [?] and bow down to their greed.

Don’t rise the provocation
Just wear your [wrestling guards?]
We shouldn’t need permission to toil and labor hard.
We’re fillin’ city pockets, rewarded we should be
For a man who works all day and night has earned some dignity.

We’ll fight for those who perished in the fire of ‘17
As the company shrugged its shoulders they went up like gasoline
Courage worn down to the knuckles as they waited there to die
And beside the doorless bulkheads, the bodies they piled high.

So you think your life they’ll value when finally you fall,
Having bled and dumped for countless days and given it your all.
For one old day your window won’t even bear the cost
to lift you up to [Duggin’s place?] to put you in a box.

Now don’t believe that wolf, the so-called Council of Defense,
Their patriotism’s twisted, their loyalties are bent.
In the shadow of the eagle they’ll blacklist you and me,
Sayin’ because we love our families, we don't love our country.

So when you cry for justice, there it be no surprise
When they brand you all as traitors and commies in disguise.
They say you’re [gyps and ?], the Kaiser’s Germany,
While our friends, they swallow bullets so our children can be free.

So we’ve got to seal the unions, we need to close the shop
And fight the company suits and copper collars at the top
For it’s on the Wall Street tickers they’ll keep their beady eyes
And our cry will fall on deaf ears as the watchin’ [may have dies?]

So together we must stand, boys, divided we will fall.
No more we’ll go below boys, let's heed the union’s call.
Throw down your picks and shovels until we’ve had our say,
For our lives are worth far more than four lousy bucks a day.
posted by cocoagirl at 12:38 PM on February 3, 2024 [3 favorites]

Response by poster: WOW. Thank you so much. My kids often request it as a bedtime song (!) and I've been doing a lot of fudging.
posted by jeszac at 2:36 PM on February 3, 2024

Best answer: Mick McAuley wrote the song; this video of him singing it a capella and explaining the background makes some of it a bit clearer. I'd say his version goes:

come all ye gallant miners who toil beneath the ground
where you risk your neck down daily, where danger it abounds
where our lives are took for granted, they throw us meager pay
and our belts are getting longer while our children fade away

together we must stand, boys, divided we will fall
no more we'll go below, boys, let's heed the union's call
throw down your picks and shovels until we've had our say
for our lives are worth far more than four lousy bucks a day

where are those (cauldron?) miners who motion all the day
to judges in their pockets, they've legalised bad pay
they won't ask about your mortgage or what your children need
as they dine with city daddies and bow down to their greed

don't rise to provocation, just burn your rustling cards
we shouldn't need permission to toil and labour hard
for filling city pockets, rewarded we should be
for a man who works all day and night has earned some dignity

we'll fight for those who perished in the fire of '17
as the company shrugged its shoulders they went up like gasoline
courage wore down to the knuckles as they waited there to die
and beside the doorless bulkheads the bodies they piled high

so you think your life they'll value when finally you fall?
having blast and dug for countless days, and given it your all
for what they'll pay your widow won't even bear the cost
to lift you up to Duggan's place to put you in a box

now don't belive that wolf, the so-called council of defence
their patriotism's twisted, their loyalties are bent
'neath the shadow of the eagle, they'll blacklist you and me
saying because we love our families we don't love our country

so when you cry for justice, let it be no surprise
when they brand you all as traitors and commies in disguise
they say you're dupes and cat's paws of the Kaiser's Germany
while our friends they swallow bullets so our children can be free

so we've got to seal the union, we need to close the shop
and fight the company suits and copper collars up the top
for it's on the Wall Street tickers they'll keep their beady eyes
and our cry will fall on deaf ears as the working miner dies

so together we must stand, boys, divided we will fall
no more we'll go below, boys, let's heed the union's call
throw down your picks and shovels until we've had our say
for our lives are worth far more than four lousy bucks a day
oh, our lives are worth far more than four lousy bucks a day

The album version is sung by Dick Gaughan, and you'll probably like his classic version of The Worker's Song (lyrics) too.
posted by offog at 9:39 PM on February 3, 2024 [1 favorite]

Another song if you're interested is Labour by Paris Paloma with excellent lyrics as well.
posted by VyanSelei at 7:40 AM on February 4, 2024