Intro: E
E
5.15 a.m.
A
snow laying all around
a collier cycles home
E
from his night shift underground
E
past the silent pub
primary school, workingmens club
A
on the road from the pithead
fis
the churchyard packed
H7
with mining dead
E
then beneath the bridge
he comes to a giant car
A fis
a shroud of snow upon the roof
E
a mark ten jaguar
A
he thought the man was fast asleep
E
silent, still and deep
A
both dead and cold
fis
shot through
H7
with bullet holes
fis cis
the one armed bandit man
A
came north to fill his boots
came up from cockneyland
e-type jags and flashy suits
fis
put your money in
pull the levers
watch them spin
A
cash cows in all the pubs
H7
but he preferred the new nightclubs
E
nineteen sixty-seven
A
bandit men in birdcage heaven
la dolce vita, sixty-nine
E
all new to people of the tyne
E
who knows who did what
somebody made a call
A
they said his hands
fis
were in the pot
E
that he?d been skimming hauls
fis
he picks up the swag
they gaily gave away
A
drives his giant jag
fis H7
off to his big pay day
fis cis
the bandit man
A
came north to fill his boots
came up from cockneyland
e-type jags and flashy suits
fis
the bandit man
A
came up the great north road
up to geordieland
fis
to mine
H7
the mother lode
E
seams blew up or cracked
A
black diamonds came hard won
generations toiled and hacked
E
for a pittance and black lung
fis
crushed by tub or stone
together and alone
A
how the young and old
fis H7
paid the price of coal
E
eighteen sixty-seven
A
my angel?s gone to heaven
he?ll be happy there
E
sunlight and sweet clean air
E
they gather round the glass
A
tough hewers and crutters
child trappers and putters
E
the little foals and half-marrows
A
who pushed
cis
and pulled the barrows
A
the hod boys
E
and the rolleywaymen
5.15 a.m.
|
