I am a young man and I'm in me prime,
I work as hard as any man can.
Makin a way for the railway line,
As a rough and tumble navvy-ing man.


Chorus.
With me billy cocked hat and a silken westcoat,
Cord'roy trousers tied at the knee.
A shovel, a pick and a one wheel barrow
And a jug full of gin when I takes my ease.


Living in a shanty feeding fleas,
Shovelling muck all through the day.
With Maggoty meat and mouldy peas
And the tommy-shop takes near all me pay.

Chorus
I knock off Sunday and go on the randy -
Find my way to the nearest town.
If I see a peeler with his truncheon handy,
Then I lifts up me fist and I knocks him down.
Chorus

I jumped oer the broom with bunk eyed Kate
And We both got drunk on two months pay
When Me money was gone and I couldn't get slate
I sold her for a shilling to a gangers mate


Chorus
Blasting tunnels where the line runs deep,
Diggin out bodies where the roof has fell.
There's many a brave navvy took a long, long sleep
The Reward for his labours - a funeral bell.

Chorus
When the contract's finished and the navvy's have gone
And trains now run on the tracks we've laid.
And all will wonder at what was done
By us lads who worked for the navvying trade
Chorus


I was there when he wrote it a little girl p****d off with the twang of the guitar he put his body and soul into his music. My father was from Birmingham not the Black Country, he now lives in Shropshire and so very sadly has limited hearing so cannot hear music anymore. You are so right about his love for the music of Ewan Macoll and he was also influenced by AL Lloyd, he was a regular at the Jug Of Punch in Digbeth Birmingham and had strong connections to the Ian Campbell Folk Group, my Dad loved sea shanty's and was also particularly keen on Irish & Scottish Folk Music. Nick it is a living history of a man who worked on the railways and was an authority on his subject. He is an incredibly humorous man and NICK is still very much with us lol It gives me great joy that people still enjoy his music and I'm sure he will be overjoyed, keep up the good work and thank you.