lyr/chords: Farewell Johnny Miner (Ed Pickford)

Subject: Goodbye Johnny Miner
From: GUEST,MC Fat
Date: 31 Jul 02 - 05:11 AM

Bob Fox sang this at Warwick. I know it was writ by Ed Pickford.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Goodbye Johnny Miner
From: nutty
Date: 31 Jul 02 - 05:20 AM

It's in the DT, Jim ......

Farewell Johnny Miner

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Goodbye Johnny Miner
From: GUEST,MC Fat
Date: 31 Jul 02 - 05:39 AM

Ta muchly

Subject: Lyr Add: FAREWELL JOHNNY MINER (Ed Pickford)
From: Dave & Julie
Date: 31 Jul 02 - 05:21 PM

These lyrics are taken from the 1970 vinyl "Folk On Friday" album, this track by The Northern Front, of whom I think author Ed Pigford (sic) was a member:

FAREWELL JOHNNY MINER
(Ed Pickford)

Johnny Miner, you were born
Never to see the rising dawn
Now it's time that you were gone
Farewell Johnny Miner!

CHORUS:
And farewell Durham, Yorkshire too
Nottingham, the same to you
Scotland, South Wales, say Adieu
Farewell Johnny Miner

They've promised you the earth sometimes
To get coal from their stinkin' mines
Now the justice for their crimes
Is Farewell, Johnny Miner!

You've battled with the sliding scale
Lungs turned black & faces pale
Now your body's up for sale
Farewell Johnny Miner!

And Farewell John, don't take it hard
Unemployment isn't bad
They'll treat you well in the knackers' yard
Farewell Johnny Miner!

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Goodbye Johnny Miner
From: Roughyed
Date: 31 Jul 02 - 05:55 PM

During the Miners strike and the pit closure campaign I used to sing the last verse as 'But it won't last long in the knackers yard so fight back Johnny Miner' It always went well. Brilliant song.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Goodbye Johnny Miner
From: Malcolm Douglas
Date: 31 Jul 02 - 09:44 PM

That would be Ed Pickford.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Goodbye Johnny Miner
From: Dave & Julie
Date: 01 Aug 02 - 07:40 AM

I'm sure Malcolm's right about the spelling, but the 1970 LP definitely says "Ed Pigford" on the label & sleeve note. Obviously standards of proofreading were as good then as they are today.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Goodbye Johnny Miner
From: Malcolm Douglas
Date: 01 Aug 02 - 09:19 AM

Good heavens! That would explain why he's also "Pigford" in at least one DT file. I had been puzzled about that...

Subject: Guitar Chords Required For Johnny Miner
From: GUEST,Chalkie
Date: 07 Sep 04 - 11:44 AM

I'm sure there's more than one Johnny Miner, but this one starts"

Johnny Miner you were born,
never to see the rising dawn,
now it's time that you were gone,
farewell Johnny Miner.
Chorus.

I learned this song a while back from a Bob Fox & Benny Graham CD If anyone can help, much appreciated.

Subject: RE: Guitar Chords Required For Johnny Miner
From: Sorcha
Date: 07 Sep 04 - 12:57 PM

There is a MIDI here,but since I don't do chords, I can't figure them out. Help here?

Subject: RE: Guitar Chords Required For Johnny Miner
From: Turlough
Date: 07 Sep 04 - 01:27 PM

A great song! A friend of mine sings this one every now and then. Unfortunately, she sings it unaccompanied, so I couldn't ask her for the chords. But I guess you could use this:

[C]Johnny Miner [Am]you were born,
[F]never to see the [Am]rising dawn,
[F]now it's time that [C]you were [Am]gone,
[F]farewell Johnny [G]Miner

These are very simple chords, nothing fancy, but it worked for me. If you think that these chords are wrong, please let me know.

T.

Subject: Chord Add: For Johnny Miner
From: Sorcha
Date: 07 Sep 04 - 01:34 PM

Add for Turlough's post of 07 Sep 04 - 01:27 PM this thread.

Subject: RE: Guitar Chords Required For Johnny Miner
From: Turlough
Date: 07 Sep 04 - 01:48 PM

Ehm, pardon, Sorcha?

Subject: RE: Guitar Chords Required For Johnny Miner
From: GUEST,Chalkie
Date: 08 Sep 04 - 04:09 AM

Many thanks Turlough.

I sing in D, so I'll have a go at transposing

Subject: RE: Guitar Chords Required For Johnny Miner
From: Dave Hanson
Date: 08 Sep 04 - 04:42 AM

It was written by Ed Pickford, who has a great website.

eric

Subject: RE: Guitar Chords Required For Johnny Miner
From: Turlough
Date: 08 Sep 04 - 04:57 AM

You're welcome, Chalkie! And before you go transposing, put a capo on the second fret and try to play "my" chords. Of course, there is nothing wrong with playing this song in D, but I hate to switch from the D chord to the Bm chord: going from C to Am is just much easier (yeah, go ahead, call me lazy). Putting a capo on the second fret will transpose the chords "automatically"...

T.

Subject: RE: Guitar Chords Required For Johnny Miner
From: nutty
Date: 08 Sep 04 - 01:41 PM

In the Ed Pickford Songbook the chords are slightly different from those shown above.

Intro.
[C] [Am] [G] [G]

Verse.
[C]Johnny Miner[Am]you were born
[F]Never to see the [C]rising dawn
[F]Now it's time that [C]you [G/B]were [Am]gone
[F]Farewell Johnny [G]Miner

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Farewell Johnny Miner (Ed Pickford)
From: Folkiedave
Date: 29 May 08 - 09:34 AM

Alistair Russell also recorded this on his CD A19.

He credits it to Ed Pigford.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Farewell Johnny Miner (Ed Pickford)
From: nutty
Date: 29 May 08 - 12:13 PM

When Easington Colliery closed I wrote another verse

The politicians will in time
Sound the death of every mine
And tell the world they're doing fine
Without you, Johnny Miner

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Farewell Johnny Miner (Ed Pickford)
From: Jon Bartlett
Date: 29 May 08 - 02:17 PM

Ah, the oral tradition. I sing the lines as:

1.2 Never to see the rising sun
3.1 You've battled hard with slate and shale

What I heard sounded very muddled and so I became a Rationalizer (is that the right term?). My thinking for 1.2: the dawn doesn't rise, the sun does.
And for 3.1 what I heard (can't remember now what it was) made no sense at all.

Now here's a question, mudcatters: should I now revert (courtesy of the DT) to the "correct" words or should I continue in my errant ways?

Jon Bartlett

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Farewell Johnny Miner (Ed Pickford)
From: GUEST,Ed Pickford
Date: 20 Feb 09 - 07:46 AM

The 'slate and shale' should be 'sliding scale' which was a method of working out wages. I do not know who changed the words - it happens.
Rising dawn - rising moon - rising sun - none of them rise - they only appear to rise because the Earth is turning. If lyrics had to pass a "rational" test I wonder what would have happened to Donovan's electric banana?
Ed Pickford

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Farewell Johnny Miner (Ed Pickford)
From: goatfell
Date: 20 Feb 09 - 11:24 AM

don't people remember rocords anymore,it's vinyl now, and record players it's decks, what has happened to people or am I getting old, or people of my age and older trying to be young

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Farewell Johnny Miner (Ed Pickford)
From: Ritchie
Date: 31 Dec 09 - 03:56 AM

"Now here's a question, mudcatters: should I now revert (courtesy of the DT) to the "correct" words or should I continue in my errant ways?"

You did n't have a hand in translating the 'Bible' by any chance, did you Jon?

Oh how I love this song .... it should be sung at every morning assembly ;-)

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Farewell Johnny Miner (Ed Pickford)
From: GUEST, Sminky
Date: 14 Apr 10 - 08:41 AM

Always been slightly disappointed that Lancashire never got a mention, especially when you look at the number of recorded deaths:

   Lancashire                      45223 
   Glamorgan                       28853 
   Durham                          12474 
   Yorkshire                       10265 
   Stafford                         9893 
   Monmouth                         8738 
   Lanark                           5841 
   Denbigh                          3686 
   Derby                            2978 
   Fife                             2468 
   Northumberland                   2399 
   Carmarthen                       2145 
   Cumberland                       2106 
   Ayr                              1949 
   Carnarvon                        1737 
   Cornwall                         1721 
   Merioneth                        1491 
   Gloucester                       1144 
   Worcester                        1134 
   Nottingham                       1100 
   Flint                            1093 
  

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Farewell Johnny Miner (Ed Pickford)
From: GUEST,matt thorns
Date: 18 May 10 - 05:50 PM

My grandfather luke or sonny as his mates called him was a miner right from the age of 13 through the war and the strikes. He isnt around anymore i never got to ask him about what it was like for him through all that time what it was like. Wondered if anyone who was around in that time could tell about what life was like in this time.

I wont remember this website so i was wondering, people, if u could email me your thoughts. [e-mail]

A massive bonus would be if you could send me a rough outline of what the chords where so i could sing their song to my children.
cheers matt

Subject: RE: lyr/chords: Farewell Johnny Miner (Ed Pickford)
From: GUEST,Christian Donovan
Date: 06 Jan 18 - 04:41 AM

(C)Johnny Miner(Em)you were born
(F)Never to see the(C)rising dawn
(F)Now it’s time that(C)you were(Am)gone
(F)Farewell(Dm)Johnny(G)Miner

Subject: RE: lyr/chords: Farewell Johnny Miner (Ed Pickford)
From: GUEST,Wheatman
Date: 07 Jan 18 - 04:12 AM

I penned this last verse

You lost the fight in '85
When you fought to keep your pit alive
But the Iron Dame and the thin blue line
Forced the closure of your mine
So farewell Johnny Miner.