(I'm the grandson of a Welsh immigrant miner who worked the Pennsylvania coal mines.)
The Bells of Rhymney
"The Bells of Rhymney" is a song written by folk singer
Pete Seeger and Welsh poet
Idris Davies. The lyrics to the song were drawn from Davies' poem "Bells of Rhymney", which was first published in his 1938 book, Gwalia Deserta. The poem, which follows the pattern of the nursery rhyme "Oranges and Lemons", was written about a coal mining disaster and the failure of the 1926 General Strike. In addition to Rhymney, the poem also refers to the bells of a number of other towns and cities in South Wales, including Merthyr, Rhondda, Blaina, Caerphilly, Neath, Swansea, Newport, Cardiff, and Wye. Seeger used the poem as lyrics for his song "The Bells of Rhymney" after discovering them in a book by Dylan Thomas. ....
Arguably the most famous rendition of the song is the version recorded by the American folk rock band The Byrds. ....
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Bells_of_Rhymney
LYRICS:
The Bells of Rhymney
Oh what will you give me?
Say the sad bells of Rhymney.
Is there hope for the future?
Cry the brown bells of Merthyr.
Who made the mine owner?
Say the black bells of Rhondda.
And who killed the miner?
Cry the grim bells of Blaina.
They will plunder will-nilly,
Cry the bells of Caerphilly.
They have fangs, they have teeth,
Shout the loud bells of Neath.
Even God is uneasy,
Say the moist bells of Swansea.
And what will you give me?
Say the sad bells of Rhymney.
Throw the vandals in court,
Say the bells of Newport.
All will be well if, if, if,
Cry the green bells of Cardiff.
Why so worried, sisters why?
Sang the silver bells of Wye.
And what will you give me?
Say the sad bells of Rhymney?
Words from "Gwalia Deserta" by Idris Davies
Music by Pete Seeger
© 1959 & 1964 Ludlow Music, Inc
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