The James T. Callow Folklore Archive

Ballad of Springhill

In the town of Springhill, Nova Scotia,
Down in the dark of the Cumberland Mine,
There's blood on the coal and the miners die
On the roads that never saw sun nor sky,
On the roads that never saw sun nor sky.

In the town of Springhill you don't sleep easy,
Often the earth will tremble and roll.
When the earth gets restless, miners die.
Bone and blood is the price of coal,
Bone and blood is the price of coal.

Down in the coal face the miners working,
Rattle of the bell and the cutler's blade,
Rumble of rock and the walls close round
The living and the dead men two miles down,
The living and the dead men two miles down.

Twelve men lay two miles from the pitshaft,
Listen for the drilling of a rescue team.
Six hundred feet of coal and slag,
Hope imprisoned in a three-foot seam,
Hope imprisoned in a three-foot seam.

Eight days passed and some were rescued,
Leaving the dead to lie alone.
Through all their lives they dug their graves,
Two miles of earth for a marking stone,
Two miles of earth for a marking stone.

Submitter comment:

I first heard this song (ballad) from a high school friend who used to play it on his guitar quite often. As is fairly obvious, many verses are missing. Only the key ones do I remember.

Data entry tech comment:

Informant and collector are the same person.

Where learned: MICHIGAN ; DETROIT