The Union Mine
Words and Music by John Compton
The Union mine, ain’t she fine, let me show you where I work
That’s the boss man, he calls the shots; me – I haul the dirt
Every sunrise, when the blue hits the skies, they give me a task
And when the sun sets, here in the West, “Am I done?” is what I ask
The Union mine, will put you right in line, they get the diamond and you get a dime
Oh Union mine, don’t think me unkind, but I need a better place to spend my time
The steam spits and the earth splits, but the bossman’s got a grin
I’ll never know why I’ve got dig this hole, just to fill it in
No overtime of the union kind, for help I once did ask
You know the Union gave me a new shovel, so I can work twice as fast
Oh Union Mine, I miss sweet sunshine, I’ve tried to quit, about a dozen times
You can look hard but you won’t find, a man who found his way out’ the Union Mine
Its been 3 years, of sweat and tears, since the Union Mine collapse
700 men went under the earth, never to come back
Now its ten and more, behind the Union doors, and I never have saved a dime
my soul dyed black from the Union stack and the dreams i left behind
Oh Union Mine, such a grand design, blood and oil painted on the sign
this hand that gives, is the hand that binds, to the day i die, it’s the Union Mine
