1. |
No Chance
03:21
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NO CHANCE
Tim Malone took the long road home
As the night was closing in
And the cruel wind struck and wailed in angry moans
With his scarf wrapped tight around his neck
And his cap pulled over his eyes
He fought to keep the cold out of his bones
As he passed by closed down factories
Waste ground and crumbling walls
He recalled the evening's events oh what a story
The cinema's woodbine smells
The patriotic war film as well
And the end to the tune of 'Land of Hope and Glory'
"Cheer up there bonnie lad"
Says the man who knows no cares
"It's no use crying needlessly"
(I'm all right Jack)
"Get up off your backside"
Says the man who knows it all
It’s no use waiting until your boat comes in
(I see no ships round here)
"Because you'll find out son it's never coming in"
At the shipyard on the quayside
He watched the men come out
And the boss said "Are you looking for a job"
He sang "Weel may the keel row"
To the tune of fifty quid
But the boss said "Try some busking with your gob"
(Weel may the keel row that my laddie's in)
He'd sit and curse at four grey walls
And watch his life go slowly by
Waiting for next pay Friday to come
Then he'd sit and sup his beer
Watch people come then disappear
And wonder if their lives were fashioned out of stone
(Gary Miller)
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2. |
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THE COAL-DIGGER’S GRAVE
There had just been a big cave-in in the depths of Belly Row
And Jim Greenwood was stretched out on the ground
And those with no guts were smiling at the back
While the strong men had failed to bring him round
The burial party had just reached the top of Dead Man's Hill
It was well past closing time and all the men had drunk their fill
They were starting to shovel the soil over his head
When he jumped up and yelled, "Give us whisky!"
The top men are calling for enquiries round the town
They've got a lot of face to save
And they've sent out appeals for the men to rally round
"Will someone put a body in the coal-digger's grave?"
Jim Greenwood had survived many pitfalls in his time
And the thinkers couldn't think what else to do
"We cannot starve your family and we cannot steal your home
But somehow we're going to get you"
And they sent him off to fight in the war
And the bullets knocked him to the ground
And they said, "That's the end of you my son"
But the bugger he came back round
(Gary Miller)
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3. |
The Hard Men
03:15
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THE HARD MEN
In the wild bad lands of England where the law is our own
We'll cause such a bloody riot you'll be trembling in your homes
We'll lie in wait to ambush you in an alley that's our lair
Whichever town you go to you will always find us there
We've never tasted whisky just lager and red wine
But by Christ we can't half knock 'em back when it comes to judgement time
We'll take you on at drinking and if you lose we'll skin your hide
Then you'll say we're the hardest gang in town and we'll go home drunk with pride
We'll leave our calling card if you're passing by our way
If you're looking for a fight we can lick you any day
We'll take you for a drink just make sure you can pay
We're the hard men
We know you've worked hard all your life but we couldn't give a damn
Because we're all just lazy bastards as I'm sure you'll understand
And don't you be misled by our deceptive words of grace
Because there's nothing we'd like more than to smash a bottle in your face
We'll leave our calling card if you're passing by our way
If you're looking for a fight we can lick you any day
We'll take you for a drink just make sure you can pay
We're the hard men
There's always at least ten of us just for company you see
The sticks and stones we carry are just our imagery
The long knives in our pockets are just for carving meat
But human flesh is favoured if it's helpless in the street
We're meaner than Clint Eastwood and we're tougher than John Wayne
We hate you if you're better than us we're all the fucking same
We're like an evil disease spreading through the land
We have the Devil in us and his will is our command
We'll leave our calling card if you're passing by our way
If you're looking for a fight we can lick you any day
We'll take you for a drink just make sure you can pay
We're the hard men
(Gary Miller)
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4. |
Wise Man
02:52
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WISE MAN
On an empty seashore says the old book of lore
Lives a man as old as the world
He’d traveled around and been up and down
Places of which you’ll never have heard
As wise as an owl he prophesied doom
And things not yet come to pass
In the ways of the world he was very well versed
For he’d seen all these things in his glass
He sailed on a ship on a round the world trip
Skippered by an old Geordie sea dog
The ship capsized and the crew lost their lives
But he made it to shore on a log
He discovered a land that was covered in sand
And the water was dry in the well
And when the folks didn’t blink who refused him a drink
He knew he had landed in Hell
He saw cannons and guns and big heavy bombs
That could blow a whole city in two
He saw idiots debating the world they were wasting
Like monkeys down at the zoo
He saw lions and donkeys obeying the monkeys
The donkeys leading the lions to their death
And the sheep in the field were following the lead
Of one that didn’t know its right from its left
He learnt what it was like to be thin as a spike
When there wasn’t enough food to go round
He saw mothers crying while children were dying
And others lay dead on the ground
It was worse than that hell where the rain never fell
And people prayed for deliverance to come
But their prayers went unheard by that chap with the beard
Who despaired at what his children had done
He saw lights in the sky that slowly passed by
And he knew from whence they had come
He saw night in the sky for the rest of all time
After the death of the sun
He shook hands with the Lord who took him on board
Like he’d done with Ezekiel before
Then he knew in a flash why men fought for cash
And why they were obsessed with war
He saw towers of fire with smoke rising higher
Which gave off a very bad smell
He saw green become grey and grass become hay
As Eden was turned into Hell
He had a fear in his head that filled him with dread
That tomorrow the sky would fall down
But he knew in his heart that whatever he thought
Tomorrow would never come round
(Gary Miller)
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5. |
The Bonnie Pit Laddie
02:04
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THE BONNIE PIT LADDIE
The bonnie pit laddie
The canny pit laddie
The bonnie pit laddie for me oh
He sits on his cracket
As black as his jacket
And brings the white siller to me oh
He works hard
And he brings me all his money oh
He takes me in his arms
And he calls me his hinny oh
The bonnie pit laddie
The canny pit laddie
The bonnie pit laddie for me oh
He sits on his hunkers
And yacks at the bunkers
And brings the white siller to me oh
He comes home
And he tells me all his troubles oh
He's had a row with the gaffer
About his lazy marrers oh
The bonnie pit laddie
The canny pit laddie
The bonnie pit laddie for me oh
He sits in his hole
As black as the coal
And brings the white siller to me oh
He works hard
And he brings me all his money oh
He takes me in his arms
And calls me his hinny oh
The bonnie pit laddie
The canny pit laddie
The bonnie pit laddie for me oh
He sits on his cracket
As black as his jacket
And brings the white siller to me oh
(Trad. arr. The Whisky Priests)
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6. |
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SHUT DOON THE WAGGON WORKS
The lights are going out on the edge of Ghost Town
As a coldness penetrates through curtained windows
For the colliery streets shed no warmth light or heat
There is no joy or friendship here in winter
As me and my marrers go to get ourselves a pint
All we get are looks which make us shiver
For the people have changed though the place still looks the same
But the waggons don't run here anymore
Times are hard in this world
When you get put out of work
The people up in power
Have shut down the waggon works
There are jobs up for grabs in other parts I hear
While our village has been scrapped through lack of care
They've decided to scrap jobs in the places they matter most
Though the towers still belch their smoke into the air
(Gary Miller)
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7. |
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GRANDFATHA’S FATHA
When I was a young lad and had never known a job
I would visit my grandfather once a week
And I’d listen to his tales whilst sitting on his knee
But of his days at work he’d never speak
I found out that his father had died long ago
When granda was a young lad like mysel’
It was down the pit he died whilst working on the gang
There was a big explosion so they tell
They were cut off from the world
When the big cage doors were closed
They sang and talked to keep their spirits high
Then his father told the tale
Of when he’d met Old Nick Himself
And then he joked he’d see them all in Hell
They’d both left home together
They were both on the same long shift
And with the other men they piled into the cage
But the clanging of machinery as they descended down
Was warning them “you’re going to your graves”
When the cage reached the bottom
All the men clambered out
And like tiny ants they laboured in the gloom
Then an almighty bang rent the air
As the men began to shout
And the roof caved in to seal them in their tomb
No one knew what had happened
Until the dust began to settle
It looked like there’d been a battle
With the Devil down in Hell
My grandfather had been knocked unconscious
By a beam that had grazed his skull
While his father just lay lifeless where he fell
They’d brought him to the surface
By the time that he’d come round
Someone said “Son forget what happened
To you down there in the dark”
But his mind could never escape the horror
Of seeing his poor father die
In that dark hole that was called his place of work
(Gary Miller)
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8. |
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INSTRUMENTAL MEDLEY:
a) THE HEXHAMSHIRE LASS
b) DANCE TE YER DADDY
c) THE KEEL ROW
d) KAFOOZALUM
e) WESHIN' DAY
f) THE HEXHAMSHIRE LASS (Reprise)
[Instrumental]
(Trad. arr. The Whisky Priests)
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9. |
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GEORDIE BLACK
Oh my name is Geordie Black and I'm getting very old
And I've hewed tons of coal in my time
When I was a lad I could either put or hew
Out of the other ones I would always take the shine
Now I'm going down the bank and I cannot use my pick
And the master has no pity on old bones
Are you new or on the bank in amongst the bits of lads
Up upon the heath a-picking stones
Oh my name is Geordie Black in my time I've been a crack
And I've worked both the Gus and the Betty
And for coals upon the Tyne out of the others I would take the shine
And lick them all for iron down at Hawks's
Now when I was just a lad carried on my father's back
He would take me away to the pit
And getting in the cage and then going down below
Was enough to make a youngster take a fit
To sit and keep the door in the darkness and the gloom
And many a weary hour by myself
And to hear the awful shots as they rumbled around the pit
And the lumps of roondy coal come down pell mell
Oh my name is Geordie Black in my time I've been a crack
And I've worked both the Gus and the Betty
And for coals upon the Tyne out of the others I would take the shine
And lick them all for iron down at Hawks's
Now I'll bid you all goodnight for it's nearly time to lowse
And I hope I've tried to please you everyone
Mind you pray tonight and do all the things that's right
For in this world that's the way to get along
Now here's success to trade for on the Wear and Tyne
I don't like to see the faces slack
For if the pits lie idle then no wages come today
It grieves the heart of poor Geordie Black
Oh my name is Geordie Black in my time I've been a crack
And I've worked both the Gus and the Betty
And for coals upon the Tyne out of the others I would take the shine
And lick them all for iron down at Hawks's
(lyrics: Trad. arr. The Whisky Priests / music: Johnny Handle)
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10. |
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THE ROW BETWEEN THE CAGES
One morning when I went to work the sight was most exciting
I heard a noise and looked around and who do you think was fighting
I stood amazed and at them gazed to see them in such rages
I never saw a row like that between the Brockwell cages
The patent to the old cage says although I be a stranger
I can work my work as well as you and free the men from danger
But if the rope should break with me old skinny jaws just watch us
You'll see me clag on to the skeets for I'm full of springs and catches
The old cage to the patent says I warrant you think you're clever
Because they've polished you with paint but you'll not last forever
For when your paint is worn away then you'll have lost your beauty
Now they never painted me at all but still I've done my duty
When going up and down the shaft the patent cage did threaten
For to take the old one's life if they stopped it meeting
The old cage bawled out as it passed you nasty dirty patent
Rub your eyes against the skeets I think you're hardly wakened
The old cage says come over the gates because it's my intention
To let you see whether you or me is the best invention
The new one being raised took off his claes and at it they went dabbing
The blood was running down the skeets and past the weighman's cabin
The brakesman brought them both to bank the mischief for to settle
They fought from five o'clock 'til six and the patent won the battle
It took the brakesman half his shift to clag them up with plasters
The old cage sent his notice in just to vex the masters
(lyrics: Tommy Armstrong / music: Trad. arr. The Whisky Priests)
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11. |
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THE GHOST OF GEORDIE JONES
Where are you going young Geordie Jones
I’m going to Flanders o’er the sea-o
Where the birds do sing
And the valleys ring
I’m going to Flanders-o
Why are you going young Geordie Jones
I’m going to kill some Germans-o
For they’re at war with our king
And it’s time I did my thing
And kill some Germans-o
How was Flanders young Geordie Jones
It was a hell-land of fire and trenches-o
Where the shells do sing
And machines guns ring
In a hell-land of trenches-o
Where did you fall young Geordie Jones
I fell in a field of wire and mud-o
Where the dead do increase
And the shells never cease
In a field of mud-o
What did it feel like young Geordie Jones
It felt like a fire in my stomach-o
But it didn’t last long
For I soon passed on
With a fire in my stomach-o
Where were you buried young Geordie Jones
I was buried in a grave on a hill-o
And many more men
Were buried with me then
In a grave on a hill-o
Who will cry for you young Geordie Jones
A father and a mother and a widow-o
They’ll cry for me and the bairn I’ll never see
My parents and my widow-o
(Glenn Miller)
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12. |
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BYKER HILL / ELSIE MARLEY
BYKER HILL
If I had another penny
I would have another gill
I would have the fiddler play
The bonnie lads of Byker Hill
Byker Hill and Walker Shore
Collier lads forevermore
Byker Hill and Walker Shore
Collier lads forevermore
When I came to Walker work
I had no coat and no pit sack
Now I’m getting two or three
Walker pits done well for me
Byker Hill and Walker Shore
Collier lads forevermore
Byker Hill and Walker Shore
Collier lads forevermore
If I had another penny
I would have another gill
I would have the fiddler play
The bonnie lads of Byker Hill
Byker Hill and Walker Shore
Collier lads forevermore
Byker Hill and Walker Shore
Collier lads forevermore
Byker Hill and Walker Shore
Collier lads forevermore
Byker Hill and Walker Shore
Collier lads forevermore
(Trad. arr. The Whisky Priests)
ELSIE MARLEY
[Instrumental]
(Trad. arr. The Whisky Priests)
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The Whisky Priests Durham, UK
The Whisky Priests (1985-2002) was founded by twin brothers, Gary & Glenn Miller (“the Joe Strummer and Mick Jones of Folk Music”). The band was internationally renowned for its energetic live shows, released a number of critically acclaimed albums, toured extensively and developed a worldwide cult following. The band reunited to tour in 2018 and release a 12-disc Complete Discography CD Box-set. ... more
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Going Down With Alice
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Collaboration between Gary Miller and Glenn Miller of The Whisky Priests and Joseph Porter of Blyth Power.
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