Pound A Week Rise Lyrics

Come all of you colliers that work down the mine From Scotland to South Wales, from Teesdale to Tyne I'll sing you a song of a pound a week rise And the men who were fooled by the Government's lies And it's down you go, down below, Jack Where you never see the skies And you're working in a dingeon For a pound a week rise In nineteen and sixty, a few years ago The mineworkers' leaders to Lord Robens did go Saying, "We work very hard, every day we risk our lives And we ask you here and now for a pound a week rise" Then up spoke Lord Robens, and he made this decree "When the output rises then with you I will agree To raise up all your wages, to give to you fair pay For I was once a miner and I worked hard in my day" So the miners they went home, they worked hard and well With lungs full of coaldust in the bosom of hell The output rose by sixteen, eighteen per cent and more And when two years had passed and gone it rose above a score Then the miners they went to get their hard-won prize To ask Lord Robens for their pound a week rise Robens wouldn't give a pound, he wouldn't give ten bob He gave them seven-and-six and said, "Get back to your job" So come all of you colliers, take heed what I say And don't believe Lord Robens when he says he'll give fair pay For he'll tell you to work hard, to make the output rise You'll get Pie in the Sky instead of a one pound rise