Little Lump of Coal - George Davis

To those who know no better and to those who do not care
I’ll try my friends to tell you what a miner has to bear.
When your servant fires the furnaces
Smoke and blazes roll
Won’t you stop and think who suffers for that little lump of coal.
Well he gets up in the mornin’ while you’re in the land of nod.
And at the family alter he kneels and asks his God
To care for him and protect him while he’s under the ground.
So he can come home in the evening to his family safe and sound.
He eats a hearty breakfast and he fixes his carbide flask.
Picks up his lamp and bucket then he’s ready for his task.
And soon he’s beneath the surface with a car up in his place.
As he swings his pick and shovel the sweat pours down his face.
Then he lines up at the office with the others in a row.
His statement’s signed and ready for a little bit of dough.
And everything he’s buying is way up in the air.
Do you think what he’s asking is anything unfair?
You can tell your friends and neighbors, your servants, and your wife,
The plaster on the office wall can’t crush out your life.
For is a dirty miner, a humble sort of mole
That takes those dangerous chances for that little lump of coal.