1. |
Halcyon Days
03:24
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HALCYON DAYS
I remember Charlie Douglas when we were still at school
He was my very best friend
But I passed him as a stranger in the street the other day
He didn't even know my bonnie face
And little Cathy Thompson with her hair and heart of gold
I vowed I would love until the end of time
But we were young and I failed to realise
That she would never be mine
I remember the times when we used to laugh and play
But this cruel world always seems to take those times away
Now it all seems like a dream that just happened yesterday
Those times will never come again
We rang bells and ran through gardens
But caused no harm to anyone
And the rows and fields were our own
And we would mucky all our best clothes
Jumping becks and climbing trees
And stayed out late didn't want to go back home
And the gypsy-camp battlefield where we used to play at wars
Was innocent fun and games back then
But now we are acting out our battle plans for real
Though we say we are fully grown men
In our ignorance and bliss we were happy in our lives
And our innocence could never let us down
On grassy moors we chased and in greeny lanes we roamed
Creating our own world in our town
But it could never last forever fate caught up on us in time
And turned our whole world upside down
For our minds then knew of guilt and all the pain of love and hate
While our dreams were left shattered on the ground
Oh what happened to you whatever happened to me
What became of the people we used to be
(Gary Miller)
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2. |
Bill Hartnell
02:09
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BILL HARTNELL
[Instrumental]
(Gary Miller)
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3. |
Adam Buckham
01:28
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ADAM BUCKHAM
It's down the long stairs
And it's straight along the close
All in Baker's entry
Adam Buckham knows
And it's oh Adam Buckham oh
Oh Adam Buckham oh
Oh Adam Buckham oh
With his bow legs
Now nanny carries water
And Tommy cobbles shoes
And Adam Buckham goes around
Gathering all the news
Now Adam kissed a servant maid
And that would never do
And if the lads get hold of him
They'll make him sorely rue
(Trad. arr. The Whisky Priests)
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4. |
Grandfatha's Fatha
03:16
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GRANDFATHA’S FATHA
When I was a young lad and had never known a job
I would visit my grandfather once a week
And I’d listen to his tales whilst sitting on his knee
But of his days at work he’d never speak
I found out that his father had died long ago
When granda was a young lad like mysel’
It was down the pit he died whilst working on the gang
There was a big explosion so they tell
They were cut off from the world
When the big cage doors were closed
They sang and talked to keep their spirits high
Then his father told the tale
Of when he’d met Old Nick Himself
And then he joked he’d see them all in Hell
They’d both left home together
They were both on the same long shift
And with the other men they piled into the cage
But the clanging of machinery as they descended down
Was warning them “you’re going to your graves”
When the cage reached the bottom
All the men clambered out
And like tiny ants they laboured in the gloom
Then an almighty bang rent the air
As the men began to shout
And the roof caved in to seal them in their tomb
No one knew what had happened
Until the dust began to settle
It looked like there’d been a battle
With the Devil down in Hell
My grandfather had been knocked unconscious
By a beam that had grazed his skull
While his father just lay lifeless where he fell
They’d brought him to the surface
By the time that he’d come round
Someone said “Son forget what happened
To you down there in the dark”
But his mind could never escape the horror
Of seeing his poor father die
In that dark hole that was called his place of work
(Gary Miller)
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5. |
Geordie Black
02:52
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GEORDIE BLACK
Oh my name is Geordie Black and I'm getting very old
And I've hewed tons of coal in my time
When I was a lad I could either put or hew
Out of the other ones I would always take the shine
Now I'm going down the bank and I cannot use my pick
And the master has no pity on old bones
Are you new or on the bank in amongst the bits of lads
Up upon the heath a-picking stones
Oh my name is Geordie Black in my time I've been a crack
And I've worked both the Gus and the Betty
And for coals upon the Tyne out of the others I would take the shine
And lick them all for iron down at Hawks's
Now when I was just a lad carried on my father's back
He would take me away to the pit
And getting in the cage and then going down below
Was enough to make a youngster take a fit
To sit and keep the door in the darkness and the gloom
And many a weary hour by myself
And to hear the awful shots as they rumbled around the pit
And the lumps of roondy coal come down pell mell
Oh my name is Geordie Black in my time I've been a crack
And I've worked both the Gus and the Betty
And for coals upon the Tyne out of the others I would take the shine
And lick them all for iron down at Hawks's
Now I'll bid you all goodnight for it's nearly time to lowse
And I hope I've tried to please you everyone
Mind you pray tonight and do all the things that's right
For in this world that's the way to get along
Now here's success to trade for on the Wear and Tyne
I don't like to see the faces slack
For if the pits lie idle then no wages come today
It grieves the heart of poor Geordie Black
Oh my name is Geordie Black in my time I've been a crack
And I've worked both the Gus and the Betty
And for coals upon the Tyne out of the others I would take the shine
And lick them all for iron down at Hawks's
(lyrics: Trad. arr. The Whisky Priests / music: Johnny Handle)
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6. |
The Clog Dancer
01:59
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THE CLOG DANCER
Now then marras what fettle
I hope I find you well
If you gather all around me now
My story I will tell
When I was young I used to be
A miner like yourselves
But now because my hair’s turned grey
They’ve put me on the shelf
For fifty years I’ve worked in the pit
And many’s the change I’ve seen
When I was young when a man was done
They’d set him on the screen
But now today when your hair turns grey
Like a squaddie with an old peg leg
They’ll tell you you’re no use anymore
Get out in the road and beg
My age it is just sixty-four
For work I’ve got no chance
They’ve barred me from the championships
My clogs for the belt to dance
They said that I was getting on
For work I was no use
They’ve paid me off and thrown me out
Get into the old workhouse
So listen all my young lads
Take heed of what I say
Get out of the pit if you’re young enough
To make good your own way
Because if you don’t and you stay below
You’ll wake to find one day
You’re all washed up and you get the push
Because your hair’s turned grey
(Trad. arr. The Whisky Priests)
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Gary Miller Durham, UK
Gary Miller first rose to international prominence with folk-punk/rock pioneers The Whisky Priests (1985-2002), founded with his twin brother Glenn - “the Joe Strummer and Mick Jones of Folk Music". He now performs as a solo artist and with his new band 'Gary Miller's Big Picture' whose debut album is coming soon. ... more
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