The missing words are past the dirty TANKY engine
and taste the GRITTY daylight
TANKY ENGINES were used for shunting work and short haul trips with coal waggons to the main rail networks.They were steam angines with two water tanks on either side . You can see them on the preserved rail lines in the North East of England.
The songs was written about the dependency of villagers at Dudley, Northumberland on their coal mine as the anchor of the Community.
I worked at that pit in 1953, and developed the song from a poem I wrote about is in 1956.
Thanks for singin me song, folks.
I have a web site at http://www.johnnyhandle.co.uk.
Cheers
Johnny