Origin: Coal in the Stone

Subject: RE: Origin: Coal in the Stone
From: GUEST,diplocase
Date: 10 Dec 23 - 02:52 PM

David Kessler in Seattle learned Coal in the Snow from Dick Greenhouse and from Helen Schneyer's hard-to-find recording. David kindly recorded the tune and I've posted it at this link:

Helen Schneyer's tune for Coal in the Stone

David says: I learned Coal in the Stone from Dick Greenhaus in a late-night sing at Old Songs Festival years ago -- song circle in the Dutch Barn, and he brought that out around 1am I recall. just one of those songs you immediately know you're going to learn and I started absorbing it then and there. The next day I went to his CD table (he used to run Camsco, which seemed to specialized in hard to find trad music recordings) and asked him to teach it to me. He sang it once more for me that weekend and said he only knew of 1 recording of it. He was out of it, but he'd look around - the next day he sold me his personal copy of the CD -- Helen Schneyer's 'What A Singing There Will Be'."

Subject: RE: Origin: Coal in the Stone
From: cnd
Date: 08 Dec 23 - 08:12 AM

Only one I'm aware of is on the 1982 release Look Ahead... by J.E. Dudgeon. I haven't found a recording online.

Subject: RE: Origin: Coal in the Stone
From: MoorleyMan
Date: 07 Dec 23 - 07:47 PM

Does anyone know of a recording of this song please?
Unable to locate it within Helen Schneyer's recordings...

Subject: RE: Origin: Coal in the Stone
From: Joe Offer
Date: 17 Oct 22 - 06:24 PM

refresh...

https://singout.org/downloads/broadside/b085.pdf

Subject: RE: Origin: Coal in the Stone
From: Catamariner
Date: 25 Oct 21 - 03:02 AM

The data in DIGITRAD has a problem. Although there was another accident in 1959 that killed nine workers closer to the surface, this accident did not occur in 1963, it occurred in May 1965 -- and this song was written by Kay Cothran and copyrighted in September of 1965. She said in the copyright that the tune was an extensive reworking of Streets of Laredo. The information eventually was published in a government report, but the papers were quite quiet about it at the time, hence the outrage that sparked the song.

Source for the disaster details: https://usminedisasters.miningquiz.com/saxsewell/C_L_Cline_No2.htm

C. L. Kline Coal Company
No. 2-A Mine Explosion
Robbins, Scott County, Tennessee
May 24, 1965
No. Killed - 5
USBM Final Investigation Report (2.3 Mb)   
An explosion, originating in the face area of the left main aircourse, killed all five men in the mine. The explosion occurred when a methane accumulation was ignited by a cigarette lighter. The methane was emitted from crevices in the roof near the face.

The mine was classified non-gassy by the State. The owner-operator was the only one that possessed a flame safety lamp. He reportedly made a gas check during his pre-shift examination.

Ventilation was inadequate. The mine fan was not capable of supplying air flow appropriate to the size of the mine. Also the eight inby stoppings in the mains were constructed of brattice cloth and the left main aircourse was advanced 300 feet inby the last open crosscut with a line curtain terminated 25 feet from the face.

Dust from coal on the conveyors and from spillage along the conveyor lines entered into the propagation.

Source:
Historical Summary of Mine Disasters in the United States - Volume II

Subject: RE: 'The Coal in the Stone'
From: Sorcha
Date: 25 Jun 01 - 12:55 AM

The MIDI file at the bottom is no help? PM or e mail Dick Greenhaus at CAMSCO music, or Sandy Patton at Folk Legacy. If anybody knows, I'll bet they do.

Subject: RE: 'The Coal in the Stone'
From: Stewie
Date: 25 Jun 01 - 12:47 AM

Thanks for your efforts, Sorcha, but I need a recording rather than printed music. From asking around, I don't think Helen Schneyer has recorded it, but surely someone has.

--Stewie.

Subject: RE: 'The Coal in the Stone'
From: Sorcha
Date: 24 Jun 01 - 10:24 PM

Stewie, does this help?
Coal in the Stone - Cothran, Kay/Traditional
Perdue, Nan and Chuck. Grass Roots Harmony, Oak, Bk (1968), p.88

from:http://milton.mse.jhu.edu:8001/research/folkindex/C08.htm

Looks like it might just be an entry in a book.....the only recording I can find of Helen is at Camsco,
here. No track listing, guess we'll have to ask Dick.

Subject: 'The Coal in the Stone'
From: Stewie
Date: 24 Jun 01 - 09:54 PM

I am looking for a recording of Kay Cothran's 'The Coal in the Stone'. The lyrics are in the DT with a note that they are transcribed from the singing of Helen Schneyer. Has Schneyer recorded this? If so, where can I find it? If not, can anyone direct me to any available recording of the song? Thanks.

--Stewie

Subject: RE: Who wrote 'Cold in the Stone'
From: aesop
Date: 13 Oct 99 - 08:36 PM

Whoops. Sorry. Found it. Thanks again.

Subject: RE: Who wrote 'Cold in the Stone'
From: Bert
Date: 13 Oct 99 - 08:34 PM

Digitrad is the Digital Tradition database. It contains about 8000 songs at the moment.

It can be accessed above with the Digitrad Lyrics Search.

Bert.

Subject: RE: Who wrote 'Cold in the Stone'
From: aesop
Date: 13 Oct 99 - 08:29 PM

Thanks. That makes more sense than cold in the stone. What's DigiTrad?

Subject: RE: Who wrote 'Cold in the Stone'
From: dick greenhaus
Date: 11 Oct 99 - 02:39 PM

It's "Coal in the Stone"; written by Kay Cothran. It's in DigiTrad

---

THE COAL IN THE STONE (DT Lyrics)
(Kay Cothran)

In Robbin, Tennessee, they'll tell you a story
Of five men who went down to dig in the coal,
How the gas exploded, the ceiling come falling
The reason is buried way down in that hole.

cho: Lie there, my laddie, lie easy, lie easy
The thoughts you were thinking will never be known
Under three thousand feet of the Cumberland Plateau
Where it's blacker than thunder and the coal in the stone.

On May twenty-fourth, they went down diggin'
May twenty-fifth, one body was found
And the rescue team labored, through the night and the danger
Seekin' for others trapped under the ground.

The rescue team labored through the dust and the gases,
The bad air was sickenin'(?) and ready to blow
And the people above are sittin' and thinkin'
Waitin' on the answers they don't want to know.

"It's no more use tryin'," says a long-time coal miner,
"They're dead and they're lyin' forever alone,
No man can survive through forty-eight hours
Buried down under that Cumberland stone."

On May twenty-sixth there was sad lamentation,
Next day, the papers were silent as the tomb(?)
You can't ask the living to stop when there's dying
Five men are dead and the world's movin' on.

So it's blast, ye bright furnaces, go on, ye factories,
Burn the black jewels, let industry roll;
Just remember, good neighbors, remember this winter
The price that's been paid for the heat of your homes.

From the singing of Helen Schneyer. The incident reportedly
happened in 1963.
@mining @disaster @death
filename[ COALSTON
TUNE FILE: COALSTON
CLICK TO PLAY
RG

Subject: Who wrote 'Cold in the Stone'
From: aesop
Date: 11 Oct 99 - 12:17 PM

Helen Schneyer sings a song about coal mining which goes:

Lie there my laddies lie easy, lie easy The thoughts you were thinking will never be known Under two thousand feet of the Cumberland Plateau Where it's blacker than thunder and cold in the stone

I thought is was traditional, but when Helen sang it a NEFFA last spring and she said there was a songwriter, but I don't remember her name. Does anyone know who wrote it? I'd like to give credit when I sing