Must admit, when I hear songs about my old job, coal mining, there are few and far between that reflect my experience, but that's no criticism of the songwriter, as most songs weren't written by any of us.

The Big Hewer was a masterclass though. Not so much the work technique songs, after all it was produced not long after I was born, never mind starting work, but I can relate to the community side. I sing Schooldays End on the basis I remember my first day down the pit and although first day down wasn't first day work by the time I got there, (a visit followed by a year full time college..) you tended to dwell on what you saw and knowing that's your workplace soon. MacColl and Seeger had a way of turn of phrase in a line that many of us would need a novel to put over and with the BBC interviews, they were at least grounded in reality.

Ted Edwards got there with a couple of songs and Jed Grimes hits the mark occasionally with the black snow stuff, but generally, folklore hits home and the songs start drifting from the reality. T'was ever thus.