The Coalman

It's happened up in near Middlesborough
And probably elsewhere
When money gets scarce to fill the purse
And coal is getting rare
In the chilly month of February
In Saddle Miners fight
When the man in the middle with coal to spare
Puts out the workers' light

But what will he say
When his hair is turning grey?
Misfortune was his fortune
And he'll dearly have to pay
Well the coal yard up in by Normandy
Was stacked up well with coal
The merchant and his cronies
They threatened the stuff like gold
Although the fuel shortage
Well it caused a greater need
By putting his drivers under dole
To satisfy his greed

At the NCB they made it clear
That prices stay the same
But still the merchant cut a ravine
Don't dare to know his name
He'd only sell to those
Who had the extra cash to pay
And like a greedy scavenger
He'd not skip ounce away

Well I saw an old age pensioner
Take breath down Paddy's Row
She dragged behind a push chair
With a hundred weight of coal
The milkman stopping to help
He put a coal upon his throat
'Cause a coal man wouldn't take it so
Without a doctor's note

Well a lot of people might have suffered
In lots of northern homes
But thank the lord the miners
And the owners came to terms
For now the strike is over
Iron coal for everyone
And the merchant doesn't smile no more
His customers have gone