Union Songs

The Pound a Week Rise

A Song by Ed Pickford©Ed Pickford mcps/prs

Come all you colliers who work down the mine
From Scotland to south Wales from Teesdale to Tyne
I'll sing you a song about the pound a week rise
And the men who were fooled by the government's lies

Chorus:
And it's down you go
Down below, Jack
Where you never see the skies
And you're workin' in a dungeon
For your pound a week rise

In 19 and 60 a few years ago
The mineworkers' leaders to Lord Robbins did go
Sayin' "We work very hard, every day we risk our lives,
And we ask you here and now for a pound a week rise."

Well up spoke Lord Robbins and he made this decree
He said "When the out-put rises, with you I will agree
I'll raise up all your wages, I'll give to you fair pay
For I once a miner and I worked hard in my day"

The miners they went home, they worked hard and well
Their lungs filled with coal dust in the bosom of hell
The out-put rose by fifteen, eighteen percent and more
And when two years had passed and gone it rose about a score

The miners they went, to get their hard earned prize
They asked Lord Robbins for their pound a week rise
Robbins wouldn't give a pound he wouldn't give ten bob
He gave 'em seven and six and saing "Now get back to your jobs!"

So come all you colliers, take heed what I say
Don't believe Lord Robbins when he says he'll give fair pay
He'll tell you to work hard and make the out- put rise
But you'll get pie in the sky instead of a pound a week rise

Notes

Many thanks to Ed Pickford for permission to add this song to the Union Songs collection.

Ed writes:
'I wrote this song when I was 19 years of age in 1962. Because of the efforts of the great Dick Gaughan the song still survives. He has just released it on a 2 CD overview of the first three decades of his work as a writer, singer, guitarist and interpreter of other works. The album is on Greentrax Recording and is called 'Prentice Piece'. It has been recorded by numerous people. Why the song has lasted this long I just don't know. There's an Australian called Fintan just recorded it as well as a Canadian group called The Paperboys. A powerful American piper and singer - Neil Anderson has also recorded the song. The song was first recorded by The exiles. Even Ewan MacColl sang it so it must have something'.

Find more Ed Pickford songs on this site.

Visit Ed Pickford's website at http://www.ed-pickford.co.uk/

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union songs..........a selection by mark gregory