Ewan Maccoll - The big hewer

^AmOut of the dirt^D and darkness I was ^E7born, go d^Amown! ^AmOut of the hard black co^Emalface I was t^Amorn, go d^E7own! ^CKicked on the world and the earth split open ^E7Crawled through a c^Amrack where the ro^Gck was br^Amoken ^DmBurrowed a ho^Amle, aw^Dmay in the ^E7coal, go d^Amown!

^AmIn a cradle of ^Dcoal in the darkness I was l^E7aid, go do^Amwn! ^AmDown in the dirt and dar^Emkness I was ra^Amised, go ^E7down! ^CCut me teeth on a five-foot timber ^E7Held up the^Am roof with my ^Glittle fi^Amnger ^DmStarted me ti^Amme awa^Dmy in the m^E7ine, go do^Amwn!

^AmOn the day that I was ^Dborn I was six feet ^E7tall, go d^Amown! ^AmAnd the very next day I ^Emlearned the way to ^Amhaul, go ^E7down! ^COn the third day worked at board and piller ^E7Worked on the fo^Amurth as a lo^Gng-wall f^Amiller ^DmGetting me st^Ameam up, h^Dmewing the ^E7seam, go d^Amown!

^AmI'm the son of the son^D of the son of a collier^E7's son, go^Am down! ^AmCoal dust runs in the ve^Emins where the blood should^Am run, go ^E7down! ^CFive steel ribs and an iron backbone ^E7Teeth that can b^Amite through ro^Gck and bl^Amackstone ^DmWorking me ti^Amme, away ^Dmin the min^E7e, go down^Am!

^AmThree hundred year^Ds I hewed at the coal by^E7 hand, go ^Amdown! ^AmIn the pits of Dur^Emham and East Northumber^Amland, go ^E7down! ^CBeen gassed and burned and blown asunder ^E7Buried more t^Amimes than ^GI can num^Amber ^DmGetting the c^Amoal, away^Dm in the ho^E7le, go dow^Amn!

^AmI've scrabbled and pic^Dked at the face where the roof was^E7 low, go d^Amown! ^AmCrawled in the sea^Emms where only a mole could^Am go, go d^E7own! ^CIn the thin-cut seams I've ripped and redded ^E7Where even the r^Amats are bo^Grn bow-le^Amgged ^DmWinning the c^Amoal, away^Dm in the ho^E7le, go dow^Amn!

^AmI've worked in the Hut^Dton, the Plessey, the Brockwell^E7 Seam, go ^Amdown! ^AmThe Bensham, the Bus^Emty, the Beaumont, the Marshall ^AmGreen, go^E7 down! ^CI've lain on me back in the old three-quarter ^E7Up to the c^Amhin in sti^Gnking wat^Amer ^DmHewing the co^Amal, aw^Dmay in the ^E7hole, go d^Amown!

^AmIn the northern pits I^D've sweated and earned m^E7e pay, go ^Amdown! ^AmToiled in the worn-out d^Emrift mines night and ^Amday, go d^E7own! ^CWhere the anthracite is hard and shining ^E7I've tried me ha^Amnd at the ha^Grd-rock m^Amining ^DmI dug me a ^Amhole awa^Dmy in the c^E7oal, go do^Amwn!

^AmOut of the dirt and da^Drkness I was b^E7orn, go do^Amwn! ^AmOut of the hard black co^Emal-face I was t^Amorn, go d^E7own! ^CLived in the shade of the high pit heap ^E7I'm still down t^Amhere where the^G seams ar^Ame deep ^DmDigging a ^Amhole, awa^Dmy in the c^E7oal, go do^Amwn!