Come all Ye Coal Miners

[marshamk]

I take it that the guy coughing in the background must have black lung...

[buddmar]

Wow. What a powerful song! This simple tune articulates the plight of coal miners with poetic eloquence. Thank you for posting!

[Chomuno]

GREAT GREAT GREAT!

[mountainjustice]

"Lets sink this Capitalist System in the darkest pits of Hell."

If you watch the great 60-minute documentary about Sara Ogan Gunning called "Dreadful Memories" (available from Appalshop on their website), she believed that the coal bosses were responsible for the death of her husband at age 32 from black lung, as well as the death of her baby (who starved to death) and her miserable life living in a coal company shack during the Depression.

We need folksingers like Sara today.

[TomboyCactus101]

the pictures go well with this protest song

[Loggie13]

My grandfather works at shoemaker mine in west virgina he wrok the for over 45 years and he will refuse to retire until the mine take his very life

[yankeegurl62]

I can't even imagine working in those conditions. Thank you to all those who have worked in the mines in the past and the present. God bless

[joeychorman]

This is great I wrote you before this is my grandmother Can I buy a copy of everything you have on her. These videos on utube can I get a copy Rosie

[anniek62587]

Was this taken directly from the Lomax recordings? Thanks!

[tabyjean]

Yup!!

[revoltingmorsel]

this is an absolutely gorgeous and haunting song, and the photos work very well with it. I have another version of the song, but no other details... any idea who wrote this and originally performed it?

[tabyjean]

Its Sarah Ogan Gunning's rendition of the song. According to a historian that researches this sort of thing: it was written by Sarah Ogan Gunning, the wife of a coal miner. The earliest known version of Sarah singing this song was recorded by Alan Lomax in 1937, and it was that version which I used in my video. Hope that helps you out!