I found a mental note that there is a bit of interesting background somewhere but you see its the end of the year and the papers are thick upon the office floor...more later. Yes the song relates to mines and shirts.... You can find the midi, notation and that below here Click to Byker We used to sing this song walking along the unused railway line through the hawthorn in bloom from durham to the next little town after a night at the pubs feeding our brain cells. We would return to the dawn and fresh hot kippers at college before falling over to awake just in time for clases on monday....maybe
BYKER HILL 
For Midi Sound click here

If I had another penny
I would have another gill
I would make the piper play
The bonny lass of Byker Hill

Byker Hill and Walker Shore
Collier lads for ever more (2x)

The pitman and the keelman trim
They drink bumble made from gin
Then to dance they do begin
To the tune of Elsie Marley

When first I went down to the dirt
I had no cowl nor no pitshirt
Now I've gotten two or three
Walker Pit's done well by me

Geordie Charlton, he had a pig
He hit it with a shovel and it danced a jig
All the way to Walker Shore
To the tune of Elsie Marley -

Verse in version in Bell:

When I cam to Walker wark,
I had ne coat nor ne pit sark
But now aw've getten twe or three,
Walker pit's deun weel for me.

Bell gives tune as:  Off she goes.