Jerry Rasmussen recorded this song on his second Folk-Legacy album, The Secret Life of Jerry Rasmussen (C-101), now available as a cassette with booklet. Solo voice and guitar, yes, but the differences between this text and the one you quote suggests that it may not have been the version you heard. Jerry describes it a "an old Peg Leg Howell blues, distorted beyond recognition by the passing of years and a faulty memory." Here are the words as Jerry sings 'em:

Coal Man Blues

Woke up this mornin' 'bout five o'clock,
Cooked me some eggs and a nice porkchop,
Drank a cup of coffee, read a magazine,
I had to run pretty fast to catch the 5:15.

Chorus:
He's the hard coal and the stove wood man,
He's the hard coal and the stove wood man,
He's the hard coal and the stove wood man,
You better run and get your bucket just as fast as you can.

Well, let me tell you something that I seen:
Coal man got run over by the 5:15.
Cracked his head and it bust his ribs.
Say, did the coal man die? No, the coal man lived.

Chorus:

Well, let me tell you something that I know:
Coal man got run over by the 4:44.
Cracked his ribs and it bust his head.
Say, did the coal man live? No, the coal man's dead.

Chorus.

Well, he sells it to the rich and he sells it to the poor,
Sells it to the rich and he sells it to the poor,
Sells it to the rich and he sells it to the poor,
And he sells it to the nice brown (high brown?) that lives next door.

Chorus.

We may even have a few of these albums left as LPs. Check out web site's list of our "vinyl dinosaurs" for further information. Folk-Legacy Hope that link works for you.

Sandy