The Miner
The miner he goes and changes his clothes
And then makes his way to the shaft
For each man well knows he's going below
To put in his eight hours of graft
Chorus
With his calico cap and his old flannel shirt
His pants with the strap round the knee
His boots watertight and his candle alight
His crib and his billy of tea
The platman to the driver will knock four and one
The ropes to the windlass will strain
As one shift comes up, another goes down
And working commences again
He works hard for his pay at six bob a day
He toils for his missus and kids
He gets what's left over and thinks he's in clover
To cut off his 'baccy in quids
And thus he goes on, week in and week out
To toil for his life's daily bread
He's off to the mine, hail, rain or shine
That his dear ones at home may be fed
Digging holes in the ground where there's gold to be found
And most times where gold it is not
A man's like a rabbit with this digging habit
And like one, he ought to be shot
Notes
'The Miner' comes from the later period of gold mining after the alluvial gold was exhausted. It's a song about deep shaft gold mining and this version was collected in 1959 by Norm O'Connor and Maryjean Officer from Mrs. R. Sayers, Bulumwaal, Gippsland. Ron Edwards collected two versions one in 1965 from Mrs T. Jenkins in Cairns and one in Fruitgrove, Qld in 1970 from Tony Davis.