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Lyr Req:The Image of God (One Miner's Life insert)

01 Feb 18 - 10:35 PM (#3903342)
Subject: Lyr Req: The Image of God
From: GUEST,Dalillama

On the Battlefield Band recording of Ed Pickford's 'One Miner's Life', the last two verses are separated by "The Image of God", which I can make out most but not all of the lyrics of. Has anyone got a transcript?

01 Feb 18 - 11:29 PM (#3903348)
Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The Image of God (One Miner's Life)
From: Joe Offer

OK, I found it on the 1988 Battlefield Band album titled There's a Buzz. It's track 9, titled "One Miner's Life / The Image of God." I don't find it on YouTube, but it is available on Spotify. This thread (click) focuses on the Battlefield Band version of "One Miner's Life," but does not have lyrics for "The Image of God" - but The Image of God by Joe Corrie is in the Digital Tradition. Guess we'll have to work out a transcription of the Battlefield Band recording to work out the fine points.
-Joe-
Here are the Digital Tradition lyrics for "The Image of God":

IMAGE OF GOD
(Joe Corrie)

Crawlin' aboot like a snail in the mud,
Covered wi' clammy blae,
ME, made after the image o' God -
Jings! But it's laughable, tae.

Howkin' awa' 'neath a mountain o' stane,
Gaspin' for want o' air,
The sweat makin' streams doon my bare back-banes,
And my knees a' hauckit and sair.

Strainin' and cursin' the hale shift through,
Half-starved, half-blin', half-mad,
And the gaffer he says, "Less dirt in that coal
Or ye go up the pit, my lad."

So I gie my life tae the Nimmo squad
For eicht and fower a day.
Me! Made after the image o' God -
Jings! But it's laughable, tae.

Words by Joe Corrie, tune by Alan Reid.
From The Penguin Book of Scottish Verse, 1970.
Recorded by the Battlefield Band.
@work
filename[ IMAGEGOD
XX
July01
And Suzanne's transcription of "One Miner's Life:

Thread #39967   Message #570038
Posted By: Susanne (skw)
11-Oct-01 - 04:50 PM
Thread Name: Lyr Req: One Miner's Life (Ed Pickford)
Subject: Lyr Add: ONE MINER'S LIFE (Ed Pickford)

ONE MINER'S LIFE
(Ed Pickford)

Chorus:
Who knows who you're crying for
Who knows who made us so poor
Who knows what you're gonna be
Who knows what's in store for ye

Now you are born, another to feed
Small are your wants lad, but great is your need
For work is scarce, your dad's on the dole
They want no more men for they've got too much coal

Now you're a boy, you play in the streets
Fish in the burn and performin' great feats
While the pitheaps stand, markin' the graves
Of fathers adn sons and the lives that they gave

Now you've left school, a man at thirteen
Your mother is grim as she looks on the scene
As she makes up your bait, you're off doon below
And awa' to the pit wi' your father you go

Now you're a man, you work in the mine
Wi' fightin' and strugglin', you're old 'fore your time
For the work it's hard, conditions are bad
And you've promised your son all the things you never had

Now you are old, you've worked all you can
But they're closin' the pits and you're part of a plan
To cut out waste and make the mines pay
So to hell wi' you now lad, and be on your way


Not checked, but I think it's fairly accurate for the Battlefield Band version. Some Info:
[1975:] Written by the talented Ed Pigford [sic!], Co. Durham, some two or three years ago. This song won the North East Folk Federation's annual songwriting competition. The son of a miner, Pigford obviously had his eye on men of his father's generation in composing this song. It is a fairly accurate assessment of the life and prospects of miners of that generation, the hard work often leading to pneumocconiosis and the dole as Lord Alfred Robens' period of closure and demoralisation of the industry shut down the bulk of Co. Durham's pits. (Notes 'The Bonnie Pit Laddie')

01 Feb 18 - 11:52 PM (#3903350)
Subject: RE: Lyr Req:The Image of God (One Miner's Life insert)
From: GUEST

Listening to the track, the Digital Tradition transcript is the same, except that the Battlefield Band add a final verse that goes (as best I can hear)

With the muck in me nails and a lungful of dust
I work in dark all the day
So pardon me now if I don't have a smile
I'm made in his image, you see.

02 Feb 18 - 01:01 AM (#3903353)
Subject: RE: Lyr Req:The Image of God (One Miner's Life insert)
From: GUEST,Dalillama

Also (that's me above there), thank you Joe for finding that, I managed to miss it when I looked there.

02 Feb 18 - 02:34 AM (#3903355)
Subject: ADD:The Image of God (One Miner's Life insert)
From: Joe Offer

OK, so here's my attempt at a transcription of the Battlefield Band recording. Questionable parts marked with question marks

ONE MINER'S LIFE / THE IMAGE OF GOD
(Ed Pickford / Joe Corrie)

Now you are born, another to feed
Small are your wants lad, but great is your need
For the work is scarce, your dad's on the dole
And they want no more men 'cause they've got too much coal

Now you're a lad, you play in the street
Fish in [Fishin'] the burn and performin' great feats
While the pitheaps stand [pithead stands??], markin' the graves
Of miners and sons and the lives that they gave

CHORUS
Who knows who you're crying for
Who knows who made us so poor
Who knows what you're going to do
Who knows what's in store for you

Now you've left school, a man at thirteen
Your mother is grim as she looks at the scene
As she makes your bait [bed?], you're off down below
And away to the pit with your father you go

CHORUS

Now you're a man, you work in the mine
With fightin' and strugglin', you're old 'fore your time
For the work is hard, conditions are bad
And you promised your sons all that you've never had

CHORUS

Crawlin' aboot like a snail in the mud,
Covered wi' clammy blae,
ME, made after the image o' God -
Is that no' laughable, tae.

Howkin' away at a mountain o' stane,
Gaspin' for want o' air,
The sweat makin' streams doon my bare back-bane,
And my knees a' hauckit and sair.

Strainin' and cursin' the hale shift through,
Half-starved, half-blin', half-mad,
And the gaffer he says, "Less dirt in that coal
Or ye go up the pit, my lad."

So I gie my life tae the Nimmo squad
For eicht and fower a day.
Me! Made after the image o' God -
Is that no' laughable, tae.

With the muck in my nails and a lungful of dust
I work in the dark all the day
So pardon me then if I don't gi' a smile
I'm made in His image, you see.

Now you are old, you've worked all you can
But they're closin' the pits and it's part of their plan
It's to cut out the waste, make the mines pay
So to hell wi' you now lad, best be on your way

CHORUS

02 Feb 18 - 10:32 AM (#3903445)
Subject: RE: Lyr Req:The Image of God (One Miner's Life insert)
From: GUEST,Dalillama

That looks right; pretty sure all the bracketed words are the right ones. A bit of looking indicates that the "Nimmo Squad' is Sir Arthur Nimmo and his cronies on the boards of various coal companies.

02 Feb 18 - 02:45 PM (#3903497)
Subject: RE: Lyr Req:The Image of God (One Miner's Life insert)
From: Joe Offer

"Nimmo" gets mentioned here and there in mining songs, so i didn't have any trouble with that.

What about "pithead"? Is that the right word?

And then there's "bait" - could it mean lunch, or is the mother making a bed?

-Joe-

02 Feb 18 - 03:46 PM (#3903516)
Subject: RE: Lyr Req:The Image of God (One Miner's Life insert)
From: Jim McLean

Joe, I have Joe Corrie's booklet, "Scottish Pride and Other Poems".
Slight corrections in The Image O' God.

Verse one, last line:Jings! but it's laughable, tae.
Verse two,first line: Howkin' awa' 'neath a mountain o' stane,
Verse 4, last line: Jings! but it's laughable, tae.

Small corrections but I'm looking at his booklet.

I cannot comment on the "pit heid" but "bait" usually meant one's "lunch".

02 Feb 18 - 08:59 PM (#3903558)
Subject: RE: Lyr Req:The Image of God (One Miner's Life insert)
From: Joe Offer

Hi, Jim - your lines are from the Joe Corrie version. The Battlefield Band changed a few of the words in "The Image of God." I think I'm hearing the recording correctly, so my transcription is correctly incorrect....
-Joe-

02 Feb 18 - 09:13 PM (#3903561)
Subject: RE: Lyr Req:The Image of God (One Miner's Life insert)
From: GUEST,Dalillama

Also the final verse seems to be original to the Battlefield Band; I'm not seeing it in any of the transcripts from Corrie.

Pit head means the top of the mineshaft/the buildings on and around it.

""bait" usually meant one's "lunch". "
Didn't know that, probably that's the right word then.

04 Feb 18 - 04:07 AM (#3903721)
Subject: RE: Lyr Req:The Image of God (One Miner's Life insert)
From: Jim McLean

Joe Corrie's original has only four verses, the first four printed by Joe and it has no chorus. I'm all for folk changing traditional songs, after all that how they developed over the years but I don't think one should tamper with original material, especially when the writer and his works are known. My own songs get mucked about with sometimes with thoughts which are not mine. I would suggest if someone has an idea then write it as a new song.

04 Feb 18 - 07:35 PM (#3903843)
Subject: RE: Lyr Req:The Image of God (One Miner's Life insert)
From: GUEST,Dalillama

AFAICT you'll be wanting to blame Alan Reid for that; he's got a credit alongside Joe Corrie on that song in the album info I've found (Ed Pickford isn't mentioned for some reason)