Lyr Add: Coal Town Road - Correction

Subject: Coal Town Road
From:
Date: 18 Jan 00 - 05:33 PM

If anyone knows where I can actually HEAR the song Coal Town Road, please let me know! I saw it once on some website of Nova Scotia CD collections, and it was by the Barra MacNeils, but I didn't have that Real Player thing, so I couldn't listen to it!! And now I can't find the site. I already have the lyrics, I just can't remember how to sing it. I'd like best to hear it by the Barra MacNeils, but anyone else will do. If you know where I can find it, PLEASE E-Mail me at: [e-mail]

Subject: RE: Coal Town Road
From:
Date: 18 Jan 00 - 05:58 PM

Stepdancing,
It's at Tidemark's site. See below:

Coaltown Road
Sound File of Coaltown Road

Subject: RE: Coal Town Road
From: DonMeixner
Date: 18 Jan 00 - 06:52 PM

Hi

I have it on a Ryan's Fancy from ages past a fine tune. I imagine it can still be found, Boots records I believe was the publisher of the LP.

Don

Subject: RE: Coal Town Road
From: JenEllen
Date: 18 Jan 00 - 09:20 PM

Try Mudcat Radio? It happens to be one of the files I am e-mailing to Max....granted it's not the Barra MacNeils, but we do it justice. Hope it's what you're looking for! Elle

Subject: RE: Coal Town Road
From: honestfrankie
Date: 18 Jan 00 - 10:02 PM

Go to the store and buy the Barra MacNeils album that has the song on it. Simple

Subject: Lyr Add: COAL TOWN ROAD (Allister MacGillivray)^^
From:
Date: 17 Feb 02 - 12:28 PM

I was just looking at Cape Breton songs, and noted a couple of slight corrections to Allister MacGillivray's song, Coal Town Road.

COAL TOWN ROAD
(Allister MacGillivray)
 

We get up in the black, down the coal town road; And we hike along the track where the coal trains load And we make the ponies pull 'til they nearly break their backs, And they'll never see again down the coal town road.   We hear the whistle call, down the coal town road. And we take our towels and all where the coal trains load. In the cages then we drop 'til there's nowhere else to fall And we leave the world behind down the coal town road.   We never see the sun, down the coal town road. At a penny for the ton, where the coal trains load. When the shift comes up on top we're so thankful to be done We head home to sleep and dream about the coal town road.   There's miners' little sons down the coal town road. Playing with their cowboy guns where the coal trains load. But they'd better make the best of their childhood while it runs There's a pick and shovel waitin' down the coal town road.   If there's a God for us, down the coal town road. All the miners He can bless where the coal trains load. For we're sweatin' in the hole suckin' down that Devil's dust Just to keep the fires a-blazin' down the coal town road.

^^

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Coal Town Road - Correction
From: Clinton Hammond
Date: 17 Feb 02 - 12:34 PM

Didn't Ryans Fancy used to do a kick-ass version of this song???

I've been meaning to learn it for about 4 years now at least!

Ta fer the reminder eh!

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Coal Town Road - Correction
From:
Date: 17 Feb 02 - 12:45 PM

You're welcome, Clinton. Yes, they did. But I like the Barra's version much better.

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Coal Town Road - Correction
From: Willie-O
Date: 17 Feb 02 - 12:46 PM

The Barra McNeills probably have the most-heard recorded version. And a fine job too. Those four can really sing together.

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Coal Town Road - Correction
From: Clinton Hammond
Date: 17 Feb 02 - 12:46 PM

I don't recall that I've heard the Barra's version... I'll have to scope around Morpheus and give it a listsen!

;-)

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Coal Town Road - Correction
From: The Pooka
Date: 17 Feb 02 - 12:55 PM

Thanks! Fierce! Know it by The Barra MacNeills; now must find that bootbutt edition by Ryans Fancy.
George Seto, inspired by this,I searched DT/Forum & didn't find (new at this & might've messed up but I re-tried it couple times) "Cape Breton of the Welcomes". It's by Tommy Makem so it ain't indigenous, fer sure; but I like it so I'm gonna try (first time!) to put it up, in hopes that maybe 1 or 2 others may also. Hope you're among 'em, or at least don't hate it.

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Coal Town Road - Correction
From: dick greenhaus
Date: 18 Feb 02 - 10:22 AM

Correctioms gratefuly accepted. One thing--If you're going to include the entire text, could you please highight the specific corrections? Could simplify life (my life, at east)

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Coal Town Road - Correction
From:
Date: 18 Feb 02 - 10:54 AM

Sorry. I was correcting,

1 - The spelling of Allister's name.
2 - The verse one had several mis-heard bits.
3 - The rest of the verses didn't spell out the addition of the balance of the line. ie only an etc at the end of the last line, and they weren't always the same, exactly.

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Coal Town Road - Correction
From: Joe Offer
Date: 18 Feb 02 - 06:57 PM

Hi, George - it also helps if you give the source of lyrics - whenever you post lyrics, but especially when you submit corrections.
Thanks.
-Joe Offer-

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Coal Town Road - Correction
From:
Date: 18 Feb 02 - 08:27 PM

Ah, - Allister MacGillivray's own book, Song For the Mira.

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Coal Town Road - Correction
From:
Date: 18 Feb 02 - 08:38 PM

BTW, it's one of several song book collections he has published. Check out his web-site at:

Mira Music

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Coal Town Road - Correction
From:
Date: 18 Feb 02 - 08:43 PM

Here's the direct link to the book

Songs For the Mira

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Coal Town Road - Correction
From: raredance
Date: 18 Feb 02 - 11:34 PM

Another recording of this on Men of the Deeps "Coal Fire In Winter". CD incidentally produced by Allistair MacG.

rich r

Subject: RE: Coal Town Road
From: GUEST,John Cole
Date: 30 Sep 08 - 07:44 PM

You can find the tune and video on youtube.

Subject: RE: Coal Town Road
From: GUEST,Dan's laptop
Date: 30 Sep 08 - 09:27 PM

Lousy video, but you can indeed hear what you're looking for. Here's the link.

Dan

Subject: RE: Coal Town Road
From: Howard Kaplan
Date: 01 Oct 08 - 09:54 AM

"Coal Town Road" was written by Allister MacGillivray. His publisher has posted a biographical web page about him here. His other songs include "Song for the Mira" and "Kitty Bawn O'Brien"[s gone to far-off Montreal].

Subject: ADD Version: Coal Town Road
From: Joe Offer
Date: 15 Apr 15 - 03:38 AM

We're going to include "Down the Coal Town Road" in the upcoming Rise Again Songbook. The lyrics we're using are the ones George Seto posted above, and the author verified them as correct.

However, I learned the song from a recording by Cockersdale that has many differences in the lyrics. I really like their version, so I'm posting it here.

COAL TOWN ROAD
(Allister MacGillivray - as sung by Cockersdale)


We get up in the black, down the coal town road;
And we hike along the track where the coal trains load
And we make the ponies pull 'til they nearly break their backs,
And they never see again down the coal town road.

We hear the whistle call, down the coal town road.
And we take our tools and all where the coal trains load.
In the cages then we drop 'til there's nowhere left to fall
And we leave the world behind down the coal town road.

We never see the sun, down the coal town road.
Get a pittance for the ton, where the coal trains load.
When the cage comes up on top we're so grateful to be done
We go home to sleep and dream about the coal town road.

There are miners' little sons down the coal town road.
Playing with their cowboy guns where the coal trains load.
And they'd better make the best of their childhood while it runs
There's a pick and shovel waitin' down the coal town road.

If there's a God for us, down the coal town road.
Then the miner He can bless where the coal trains load.
For we're diggin' in a hole suckin' up that Devil's dust
Just to keep the fires burnin' down the coal town road.

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Coal Town Road - Correction
From: Joe Offer
Date: 12 May 20 - 12:04 AM

There's a very nice page on this song here:http://www.beatoninstitutemusic.ca/mining/coal-town-road.html
In Coal Town Road, Allister MacGillivray describes life in a Cape Breton coal mining town using information he gathered from stories told by his great-uncle, a former coal miner.

This live recording by the Men of the Deeps features solos by Yogi Muise and Billy McPherson.