The Knox Mine (feat. Francie)

Cold January, up before dawn

Down to the Knox Mine we been digging on

No other light but lamp on my head

And my Mama told me that I'll wind up dead

But there's bills to pay and the rents due today

So I'll take my chances this time

Breaking my back for five dollars a day

The company store gets half anyway

While Mr. Coal Barron sits up on a hill

In a gold plated mansion, with pockets to fill

And we're underground, three hundred feet down

And it feels like we're digging our grave

Don't go down the mine

Heed the words that I tell you

It'll cost you your life

And its damp and dark too

The river is wide, and it gets ever closer with each hammer strike

Don't go down the mines

Heard people talking 'bout the River Slope Vein

That they got us digging to close to the bank

But money and greed is a powerful thing

It can make a man blind to the danger it brings

And I've got a feeling this anthracite ceiling can't hold back the river above

We heard the warning just before noon

A thunderous sound and the river came through

We tried to run but the mine's like a maze

And the col icy waters chased us to our graves

Mama was right that I'd give my life

Wish I'd listened to her when she said

Don't go down the mines

Heed the words that I tell you

It'll cost you your life

And its damp and dark too

The river is wide and it gets ever closer with each hammer strike

Don't go down the mines

I guess Mama was right

Don't go down the mines