Dark Black Coal
Miner's Lament: Battling Shadows in Dark Coal Mines
Lyrics
Well, you ain't got no life anymore
Expressing a sense of emptiness or lack of fulfillment in life.
You stay in a dark coal mine
Describing the setting as a dark coal mine, suggesting a challenging and labor-intensive environment.
Working away every day
Highlighting the daily grind and hard work in the coal mine.
With your wife and kids on your mind
Indicating that family is a motivating factor for the person working in the mine.
You wake up in the morning, grab your hard hat
Describing the routine of starting the day, emphasizing the hazardous nature of the job.
Pray that you make it back home
Expressing a hope or prayer for a safe return home.
Your body is aching and you just can't take it
Conveying the physical toll of the job and the difficulty endured.
Mining that dark black coal
Referring to the challenging task of mining dark black coal.
Dark black coal, take my soul
Repetition of the theme, suggesting a deep connection between the person and the coal.
Owe it to you anyways
Acknowledging a debt or obligation to the coal, possibly representing the sacrifice made for a living.
Just don't let my children become the victims
Expressing concern about the impact of the job on the well-being of the person's children.
Of the mountains evil ways
Referring to the negative effects of the coal industry on the environment or community.
And you miss being younger, a boy with a hunger
Nostalgia for youth and a desire to escape the current circumstances.
To get far away from this town
Expressing a longing to leave the town and its associated challenges.
You never knew how, why or when
Uncertainty about the path taken but a strong belief in eventual success.
Just knew that you'd make it somehow
Belief in overcoming challenges and achieving success.
Now twenty years older shoulder to shoulder
Highlighting the passage of time and the shared experience with others in a similar situation.
With boys who we're just like you
Describing the camaraderie among individuals facing similar challenges in the coal mining industry.
Spending their lives underground
Depicting a life spent working underground, emphasizing the demanding nature of the job.
Proving their collars are blue
Indicating pride in belonging to the working class, symbolized by blue collars.
Dark black coal, take my soul
Repetition of the theme, reinforcing the connection between the person and dark black coal.
Owe it to you anyways
Reiteration of the sense of owing something to the coal, possibly emphasizing the sacrifices made.
Just don't let my children become the victims
Reemphasizing concern for the impact of the job on the well-being of the person's children.
Of the mountains evil ways
Repetition of the idea of the negative influence of the mountains or the coal industry on the community.
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