Down in the darkness the cage did descend
Mother earth's heart, riches to lend
Coal and lead and silver riches in store,
below the earth crust a vast golden floor.
Wrestled with grit and tore out with sweat,
names upon names that all soon forget.
Those come before us all massed in a mob
taught us to stope and taught us to gob.
They taught us to drill and learned powder to pack
set jack, stull, squareset, give a wedge a good smack.
Decline and incline, track drift, raise,
pie cans in hand on graveyard, swingshift and days
Nothings too good, nay, nay, never your tongue.
for a young man who goes in, is never more young.
