He continues to write and record new material and performs live frequently throughout Canada, the United States, Europe and Australia.
Thompson was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 2011 New Year Honours for services to music. On 5 July 2011, the degree of Doctor of Philosophy honoris causa was conferred on Thompson by the University of Aberdeen, in a ceremony at the University's Elphinstone Hall.
Blackleg Miner
Richard Thompson Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
When the blackleg miner creeps to work
With his moleskin pants and dirty shirt
There goes the blackleg miner
Well, he grabs his duds and down he goes
To hew the coal that lies below
There's not a woman in this town row
Oh, Delaval is a terrible place
They rub wet clay in the blackleg's face
And around the heaps they run a footrace
To catch the blackleg miner
And even down near the Seghill mine
Across the way they stretch a line
To catch the throat, to break the spine
Of the dirty blackleg miner
They grabbed his duds, his picks as well
And they hoy them down the pit of hell
Down you go, we pay you well
You dirty blackleg miner
It's in the evening after dark
That the blackleg miner creeps to work
With his moleskin pants and dirty shirt
There goes the blackleg miner
So join the union while you may
Don't wait 'til your dying day
For that may not be far away
You dirty blackleg miner
Richard Thompson's song Blackleg Miner describes the harsh working conditions and discrimination faced by miners during the 19th century in England. The lyrics describe the blackleg miner, who is a scab, a worker who continues to work during a strike. The miner is despised and treated as an outcast by his fellow workers, who view him as a traitor to the union cause. The first stanza sets the scene, with the miner sneaking to work in the darkness, wearing his dirty work clothes. The second stanza describes the harsh work conditions, with the miner going down into the coal mines to work. The third stanza highlights the social ostracism faced by the blackleg miner, who is not even looked upon by the women in his community.
The fourth stanza describes the brutal actions taken by the striking miners against the blackleg miner, who is seen as a symbol of the company's attempt to break the union. The miners smear wet clay on his face and lay traps to catch him, treating him as an enemy. The fifth stanza describes the lengths to which the miners will go to catch the blackleg miner, even stretching a line across the way to break his spine. The sixth stanza describes the ultimate fate of the blackleg miner, his duds and picks thrown down into the pit of hell by his former coworkers. The final stanza contains a call to action to join the union, warning that death may not be far away for those who don't.
Line by Line Meaning
It's in the evening after dark
The blackleg miner works in the cover of darkness.
When the blackleg miner creeps to work
The blackleg miner sneaks to work uninvited.
With his moleskin pants and dirty shirt
The blackleg miner wears rough clothing that is stained with dirt.
There goes the blackleg miner
The blackleg miner is seen heading to work.
Well, he grabs his duds and down he goes
The blackleg miner picks up his tools and heads underground.
To hew the coal that lies below
The blackleg miner is there to extract coal.
There's not a woman in this town row
No respectable woman will have anything to do with the blackleg miner.
Will look at the blackleg miner
The blackleg miner is despised and considered an outcast.
Oh, Delaval is a terrible place
Delaval is a difficult and unwelcoming place to work.
They rub wet clay in the blackleg's face
The miners smear wet clay on the blackleg's face to mark him as an outsider.
And around the heaps they run a footrace
The miners compete with each other to capture the blackleg miner.
To catch the blackleg miner
The miners want to punish the blackleg miner for betraying their cause.
And even down near the Seghill mine
Even near the Seghill mine, the blackleg miner is despised.
Across the way they stretch a line
The miners set a trap by stretching a wire across the road.
To catch the throat, to break the spine
The miners aim to injure or kill the blackleg miner.
Of the dirty blackleg miner
The blackleg miner is viewed as unclean and unworthy of respect.
They grabbed his duds, his picks as well
The miners took the blackleg miner's equipment and clothes.
And they hoy them down the pit of hell
The miners threw the blackleg miner's possessions into the mine.
Down you go, we pay you well
The miners taunted the blackleg miner by saying that he would be paid for his efforts in the afterlife.
You dirty blackleg miner
The miners use derogatory language to refer to the blackleg miner.
So join the union while you may
The song encourages listeners to join the union while they still can.
Don't wait 'til your dying day
The song warns that it might be too late to join the union if one waits too long.
For that may not be far away
It's possible that one could die before having the chance to join the union.
You dirty blackleg miner
The song ends by repeating its derogatory language towards the blackleg miner, bringing the theme full circle.
Contributed by Gavin W. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Robyn Sewell
Richard Thompson makes me smile and want to cry....he is amazing!
Toranaboy634
My Pa started mining coal in the '20s as a youngster in Cessnock in the Hunter Valley. He had maybe 6 years education. He was, as a 17 year old., the 10,000 strong protest march, led by the Kurri Kurri pipe band, after the police killed miner Norman Brown in '29 at the Rothbury pit. Imagine the sight of those fine men, 10,000 of them. We will likely never see such tough workers again. Remember them. Solidarity. Workers of the world are brothers and sisters. By Schiller in german: Alle menschen werden bruder.
honeychurchgipsy6
Toranaboy634 - I looked after a lovely lady from the Welsh valleys whose father was a miner and involved in Union issues from early on. She told me that the work her father did was so physically destructive that herself and her younger sister would have to go to the pit entrance to fetch him home each day: years of spending every day bent double and standing in water had led to him having to be literally carried home; they would each take an arm and drag him back home - they were young teenagers at the time.
My point is that whilst I agree that we should celebrate the amazing bravery of these men and women (remember women also worked down the pits - and children too), and their solidarity in rising up against oppression, we should be careful not to glorify the work itself.
daniel waters
You're that tough, sir, you just need a cause.
majorMcpharter
Let us all help to speed the day when this wonderful earth and its rich resources are held in common for the benefit of all humanity. One race the Human Race.
Veleda Schlammtänzerin
Interestingly many of the foremen were worse then the bosses. They truly drove the men into the black grave.
geroffout
This ex miner thanks this great artist for his valuable work. One day it will touch someone who can make a real diference to the lives of ordinary people.
Howard McKay
I worked in mines in Northumberland between 1968 and 1972. The Seghill mine headgear was still in place at that time, although the mine had closed. I sometimes perform this song myself.
Bluebuthappy182
Actually the first time I heard this song was on a programme on the BBC early on a Saturday morning. The programme was for kids and used the song to try to explain the strikes and bitterness that came from them. The song stuck in my head till I heard RT dong this.
Fee Finefrau
Glück auf! Greetings to all Miners.
A special thanks to all the significant others of the brave men. You keep them grounded - or better "uplifted"