Elijah the breaker boy has the black lung
Elijah is one of the lucky few
& it looks to me the rest of his story is no fun at all
The caged bird has flown
Dead and gone like all the others
All the men and the boys
All the boys in the mine
Henry oh Henry the husband of Bonnie
Oh Bonnie your man has left you
& when it feels too cold Bonnie wears her dear Henry's coat
The caged bird has flown
Dead and gone like the others
Lost in the tunnels
Their narrow coal homes
Worst of all were the children of Quincy
They have a history of wandering
When the ground fell down the twins were never found
The caged bird has flown
Dead and gone like the others
All the rain is a black veil of suffering & it falls on the Caroline Mine
The Caroline Mine
Death and injury
Under the surface
Your sons and mine
Suddenly silent