Dust

Dust in the air, all through the mine It's concrete on yer lungs and yer old before yer time You may work on board a ship and ye'll gang to foreign lands Ye can work upon a farm and run the good earth through your hands Even in an office ye can breathe air fresh and fine But yer coughing and yer spitting dust, a working down the mine Dust in the air, all through the mine It's concrete on yer lungs and yer old before yer time The coal-seam rich and gleaming, aye it's far beneath the soil Black coal is what they call it and it's won with sweat and toil But when yer shift is over and yer gang to earn your rest You'll never get to spend black gold, when it's lying on your chest Dust in the air, all through the mine It's concrete on yer lungs and yer old before yer time Explosions blast the coal to powder, dust is in the air Sierras and Trapanners with their picks to do their share Conveyer-belts and fans, help to pass it along the line And you can't escape that dust, when yer working down the mine Dust in the air, all through the mine It's concrete on yer lungs and yer old before yer time But in the Tailgates an the Mothergates and on the long wall face They've got masts an sprays and hoses, to keep it in it's place Coal must be won the race is on, the picks and shovels fly But you also need to breathe the air, that's going round and by Dust in the air, all through the mine It's concrete on yer lungs and yer old before yer time