The Tin Mines of Cornwall
(Chorus)
They’re older than Christ and deeper than hell
But the tin mines of Cornwall won’t see ’99
The life of the land has come out of the mineshaft
The heart of the Cornishman’s down in the mine
Before there were Christians, before there were Romans
The world came to Cornwall to bargain for tin
Tin for the swords to spill blood on the wheat fields
Tin for the ploughshares to till them again
When gears started grinding and wheels started rolling
They called to the Cornishmen – “dig deep and fast!”
The building of nations, of civilizations
Began in the mines and we thought it would last
(Chorus)
Out in the gold rush, down in the diamond fields
When they hit hard rock they sounded the call
“Send us some Cornishmen, they’ll find the ore for us
Send us some Cornishmen, they’re best of all!”
It started out slow, a long time ago
They put notices up as the profits came down
“There’s no more employment, go find some enjoyment
You’re all retired from your work underground.”
(Chorus)
The end it has come, it’s finally done
They’re closing South Crofty, the very last mine
So head for the dole queue, there’s nobody needs you
Pack up your gear; it’s the end of the line.
In Australia or Michigan, Hell or South Africa
Mining is mining and it’s all we know
With the farmers and fishermen, we built the Cornish land
Now we’re redundant and it’s time to go.
(Chorus)
Well it’s been twenty years since they cut Crofty’s cable
We thought it was final and that was the end……..
But there’s Lithium down there, and it’s worth a fortune!
If all goes to plan, we’ll be mining again!
They’re older than Christ, and deeper than hell
But the new mines of Cornwall will soon produce ore
We’ll shoulder our tools and go into the mineshaft
We’ll bring out the tin like our fathers before,,,
And again show the World what a Cornishman’s for!