It's not even a proper folk song - rather an invention of A L Lloyd based roughly on an American prototype (Yowie Miners) and relocated to the villages of the South East Northumberland coalfied named in the song. Supposedly collected from a nameless singer in Bishop Aukland (!) in 1949. Certainly growing up in that area (Seghill / Deleval) I never met any miners who'd heard of it - only folkies. So very much a Fakesong. Hardly the wonder the nationalists are so enamoured of Folk having swallowed the Revival Mythology hook, line and sinker!
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