A song from a poem !

Memories Still Linger

There's a story attached to this little offering.

Back in September 2007, a fellow fan of country music called Judy Singleton was in internet correspondence with John regarding the possibility of a particular poem she'd written a number of years ago about the coal miners and the threatened pit closures at the time, being set to music and turned into a song. John had words with me and although we were way behind schedule with plans for our own material, we decided to take up the challenge. By the November we'd got a result and posted a basic rush cut here on this page - Memories Still Linger was born. Earlier this year we tried it out on stage and it met with a good reception so it's still there in the stage act. Ray has since added his bass guitar and harmony lines to the recorded version and at last we have that final version posted here.

Hope you like it !

Copyright 2008 Maddison, Morton and Singleton

As a result of the many requests made in the venues, here's the words so you can sing along !

The Poem

The Song

Memories Still Linger

Memories still linger of the working life they chose.

He sits there with his ashen face, his eyes they tell the tale

Of the way he's spent his life, why he looks so old and frail.

They tell the tale of miners, deep down in the dark,

Picks and shovels at their sides they went to make their mark.

Tin bath 'round the fire, water on the boil

To clean the grime and dust away from their hard day's toil.

It's almost all forgotten 'cos now the pits are closed

But memories still linger of the working life they chose.

Beneath the earth they toiled breaking through the seams,

Chipping through the tunnel, how that black face gleams.

Waiting in the darkness, blinkered ponies stand

Old men fill the coal carts, as children lend a hand

Tin bath 'round the fire, water on the boil

To clean the grime and dust away from their hard day's toil.

It's almost all forgotten 'cos now the pits are closed

But memories still linger of the working life they chose.

Heavy loads to pull, working day and night

Miners hoisted up the shaft into the blinding light.

When the shift is over, It's homeward bound they go

Sparks from soles of pit boots, as tiredness starts to show.

Tin bath 'round the fire, water on the boil

To clean the grime and dust away from their hard day's toil.

It's almost all forgotten 'cos now the pits are closed

But memories still linger of the working life they chose.

Memories still linger of the working life they chose.

(Maddison, Morton)

The Pit Man

He sits there with his ashen face

His eyes do tell the tale

The way he has spent his life

He looks so old and frail.

To tell the tale of miners

Deep down in the dark

Picks and shovels at their sides

They go to make their mark.

Beneath the earth they toiled

Breaking through the seams

Chipping through the tunnel

How that black face gleams.

Waiting in the darkness

Blinkered ponies stand

Old men fill coal carts

As children lend a hand

Heavy loads to pull

Working day and night

Miners hoisted up the shaft

Into the blinding light.

When the shift is over

It's homeward bound they go

Clomping in their pit boots

Walking very slow.

Tin bath around the fire

Water on to boil

To clean the grime and dust away

It's been a hard days toil.

But now it's all forgotten

The pits are due to close

Memories still linger

Of the working life they chose.

Judy Singleton