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Monongah Mine

from Mobile as a Tree by Matt Capps

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about

After watching a PBS special on the 1907 Monongah mining tragedy in West Virginia, I felt a conviction to write this song.

lyrics

It was 1907 when the coal came in
We'd bring 'em back our share and then we'd dive back in
With pockets empty we'd walk through the door
With interest accruing at the general store
Get up next morning and do it again
our life held in the balance by the greediest of men

In Monongah the bodies lie there in the cave
Filled to the brim with the young and the brave
The methane was thick and ignited the dust
We trusted in those that you never should trust
A pick in our hand and a knife in our back
We entered the cave and we never came back

West Virginia, yeah we thought it would be
The place to establish our own family
We entered the mine with the largest of dreams and all that came out was the sound of our screams
Our widows lay dying while bosses made plans
to wipe off the blood that they had on their hands

No laws against working the young and the frail
No laws against knowing the system would fail
the sight of our graves at the hillside at dawn
started the plan for reform to be drawn
500 lives for a plan to unfold
for a chance for a miner to finally grow old

credits

from Mobile as a Tree, track released March 1, 2011
Cliff Kimmerling: Bass Guitar
Jason Stahl: Drums
Joel Crabtree: Keyboards
Matt Capps: Vocals, guitars, percussion

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Matt Capps Cincinnati, Ohio

Matt Capps is a singer-sonwriter, guitar player, and solo acoustic act when not creating records in his home studio.

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