The Pound A Week Rise lyrics

Song information

Artist: Seven Nations
Album: Old Ground

Lyrics

The pound a week rise
(E. pickford)

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

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