My Old Man
Ewan MacColl & Peggy Seeger Lyrics


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My old man was a good old man
Skilled in the moulding trade
In the stinking heat of the iron foundry
My old man was made
Down on his knees in the moulding sand
He wore his trade like a company brand
He was one of the cyclops' smoky band
Yes, that was my old man

My old man wasn't really old
It's just that I was young
And anybody over twelve years old
Was halfway to the tomb
He was loyal to his workmates all his life
Gave his pay packet to his wife
Had a few jars on a Saturday night
Yes, that was my old man

My old man was a union man
Fought hard all his days
He understood the system
And was wise to the boss' ways
He says, you want what's yours by right
You have to struggle with all your might
They'll rob you blind if you don't fight
Yes, that was my old man

My old man was a proud old man
At home on the foundry floor
Until the day they laid him off
And showed him to the door
They gave him his card, said, things are slack
We've got a machine can learn the knack
Of doing your job, so don't come back
The end of my old man

My old man he was fifty-one
What was he to do?
A craftsman moulder on the dole
In nineteen thirty-two
He felt he'd given all he could give
So he did what thousands of others did
Abandoned hope and the will to live
They killed him, my old man

My old man he is dead and gone
Now I am your old man
And my advice to you, my son
Is to fight back while you can
Watch out for the man with the silicon chip
Hold on to your job with a good firm grip




'Cause if you don't you'll have had your chips
The same as my old man

Overall Meaning

"My Old Man" by Ewan MacColl is a tribute to the singer's father, who was a hard-working tradesman in an iron foundry. The lyrics capture the essence of his father's character, his unwavering loyalty to his work, his pride in his job, and his struggle against the system. The song acknowledges the harsh realities of working-class life and the battles that people have to fight to assert their rights.


The opening stanza describes the physical demands of his father's work, emphasizing the effort and skill required to do his job. The second stanza juxtaposes the father's youth and dedication to his work with the singer's youth and the gulf that separated the two generations. The third stanza highlights the father's activism, as he stood up to the bosses and fought for workers' rights. The fourth stanza depicts the father's tragedy, as he is laid off from his job in favor of a machine, leaving him with little hope for the future. The fifth and final stanza offers a warning to the singer, urging him to be vigilant and to fend off the threats posed by changing times and technology that could leave him jobless like his father.


Overall, "My Old Man" is an emotionally charged and politically charged song that pays tribute to the struggles and sacrifices of the working-class people. It reflects the labor movement of the mid-20th century and highlights issues of automation, unemployment, and economic inequality that still resonate today.


Line by Line Meaning

My old man was a good old man
My father was an exceptional man


Skilled in the moulding trade
He was a master craftsman in the moulding trade


In the stinking heat of the iron foundry
He worked tirelessly in the relentless heat of the iron foundry


My old man was made
This was where he belonged; his calling if you will


Down on his knees in the moulding sand
He worked in the heat, literally on his knees


He wore his trade like a company brand
He was proud to be a worker in the moulding trade


He was one of the cyclops' smoky band
He was one of many workers who worked in the cyclops' smoky band


Yes, that was my old man
That was my father


My old man wasn't really old
He wasn't actually old


It's just that I was young
I was young and did not understand age


And anybody over twelve years old
At that age, anyone is seen as being old


Was halfway to the tomb
Almost on their last leg


He was loyal to his workmates all his life
He was always true to his colleagues and friends


Gave his pay packet to his wife
He turned over his entire salary to his wife


Had a few jars on a Saturday night
He drank a few alcoholic beverages every Saturday night


Yes, that was my old man
That was my father


My old man was a union man
He believed in the union


Fought hard all his days
He struggled and worked hard his entire life


He understood the system
He knew how the system worked


And was wise to the boss' ways
He knew how the boss wanted things done


He says, you want what's yours by right
He advised that you should get what's rightfully yours


You have to struggle with all your might
You must fight for it with all your strength


They'll rob you blind if you don't fight
You will be cheated if you do not put up a fight


Yes, that was my old man
That was my father


My old man was a proud old man
He was proud of his accomplishments


At home on the foundry floor
He was comfortable working in the foundry


Until the day they laid him off
Until the unfortunate day he was laid off


And showed him to the door
He was unceremoniously kicked out


They gave him his card, said, things are slack
He was handed a card, indicating that things were not going well


We've got a machine can learn the knack
They had a machine that could learn his job


Of doing your job, so don't come back
They let him go, instructing him not to return


The end of my old man
The end of a great man


My old man he was fifty-one
My father was fifty-one


What was he to do?
What was he supposed to do?


A craftsman moulder on the dole
An experienced moulder out of work


In nineteen thirty-two
In the year 1932


He felt he'd given all he could give
He felt that he had done everything he could


So he did what thousands of others did
He did what many others did in the same situation


Abandoned hope and the will to live
He gave up all hope, and the will to survive


They killed him, my old man
The system took everything from him


My old man he is dead and gone
My father has passed away


Now I am your old man
Now I am in his position as the older generation


And my advice to you, my son
My advice to you is to listen carefully


Is to fight back while you can
Fight for what is yours while you still can


Watch out for the man with the silicon chip
Be wary of the man with technology


Hold on to your job with a good firm grip
Keep your job tightly


'Cause if you don't you'll have had your chips
If you lose your job, you'll be finished


The same as my old man
The same fate as my father




Lyrics © O/B/O CAPASSO
Written by: Joni Mitchell

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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Most interesting comment from YouTube:

Marcus Finn

Moi,, j’adore Ewan maccoll

Un superbe chanteur

Il chante,,,et mon cœur brise.... en milles parts.....c’est catastrophique

Quoi faire ?.... je quitte la France pour l’ecosse

Moi,, je suis un champion tenor banjo ...eh ben.....😶



All comments from YouTube:

Brian E. Reinecke

This is the first time that I have heard Ewan sing. It is the start of a new adventure for me to find more of his work to embrace and share with my friends. A fine post! Thanks. :-)

sye lee

Shows how amazing MaColl was, awesome lyrics and song

Angela Smith

The tears are blinding me .. brilliant words .

thecaveofthedead

Same. Feeling that strong need for a hammer and sickle emoji.

broomybank

My old man was a union man and worked hard all his days too. A moving song.

Joe Stead

By cupping his hand over his ear, sometimes putting finger in ear, he can hear himself better. Helps to keep in tune. When working within a group it helps harmonies etc

supernffc

Ewan MacColl was an absolute legend!

Owen Gardiner

It's Great how he plays that guitar one handed !

rca88

Surely it is Peggy Seeger playing guitar. At 0:51, the guitarist's hand is visibie in the upper right corner. MacColl was one of the true greats. I never saw him live, but you can hear it in the recordings. This clip shows why, too - such an expressive face. Fairport, Steeleye Span, the Pogues - they all mined the Ewan MacColl / Peggy Seeger catalogue extensively.

john vaughan

This isn't the compete song there's at least an extra verse.Poignant and a brilliant piece of writing

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