There are a number of beautiful Pit Poems written by local miners, all of them taken from the old Hamilton Advertisers, The Lanarkshire and The Blantyre Gazette between the years 1856 - 1947. These poems have to be read to be appreciated for what they are……..beautiful evocative poems about a time long gone…describing the life of the Coal Miner and his family.
EARNOCK RAW'S
The day's we spent in Earnock Raw's a place we all love well
And some people known to live there I am about to tell.
The front Raw has a wee co-op shop where everyone bought goods
Porridge, cheese, bread and jam and aw the staple foods.
We start wi' Peter Mackie wha kicked a bonny baw,
He could do a lovely dribble, shoot wan in but never fa.
* * * This poem has16 verses naming many families and people who lived in Earnock Raws. |
JOE MALONE
This is a story the brushers love;
This is a tale they often tell
In the bowels of the earth when the moon
above
Shines o'er the homes where the miners dwell
* * *
Joe Malone has 16 verses.
THE PRICE OF COAL
When the wintry winds are raving
Round the chimney tops at night,
And you sit at ease and comfort
At the fire so warm and bright,
Does it ever cross your vision
As you heat your slippered sole,
Does it ever seem to strike you What's the actual cost of coal.
* * *
The Price of Coal has 3 verses |
Wilma Bolton
