COAL MINER'S BLUES

"Coal Miner's Blues" A.P. Carter (1938)
Lead vocal: Sara Lead Guitar: Maybelle

Some blues are just blues, mine are the miner's blues.
Some blues are just blues, mine are the miner's blues.
My troubles are coming by threes and by twos.

Blues and more blues, it's that coal black blues.
Blues and more blues, it's that coal black blues.
Got coal in my hair, got coal in my shoes.

These blues are so blue, they are the coal black blues.
These blues are so blue, they are the coal black blues.
For my place will cave in, and my life I will lose.

You say they are blues these old miner's blues.
You say they are blues, these old miner's blues.
Now I must have sharpened these picks that I use.

I'm out with these blues, dirty coal black blues.
I'm out with these blues, dirty coal black blues.
We'll lay off tomorrow with the coal miner's blues.

Another verse is reported as:

These blues are so blues, they are the coal black blues,
These blues are so blues, they are the coal black blues.
For my place will cave in and my life I will lose.

This extra verse and info come from "Yonder Come the Blues" By Paul Oliver, Tony Russell, Robert M. W. Dixon. They report that this song was collected by the Carters on a song trip in Lee County, Virginia and that it was popular in the mining community.