Its only natural that anyone with mining connections would be able to relate to this song.

cant blame the Welsh really

The variant of the first verse where the words are altered to:

'At the age of 16 years
with my father close to tears
as he vowed never again to send his son
To the dark recess of the mine'

echoes what my grandfather wanted for my father,
to whom I am eternally grateful

The late Michael Alexander and Paul Child are well worth a view on the tube