Barrett’s Song Brian D'Arcy James

She's sparkling clean, this new-born ship
But one old thing is clear
The orders they propose above
We execue down here...

We'll watch form here as up above
They'll catch a whiff of glory
This wonder ship may be brand new
But it's the same old story...

Stoke the fire in the hold
As the men draw back...
Feed the heat in the hold
As the men draw back
And the dust of the coal in the air is black
And a trickle of sweat runs down your back...

And what are the boys from the midlands doing here?

Coal it is that makes the steam
That runs the machines that run the world
That sends the men below the ground
To mine the coal
Each day...

From Leicestershire and Nottingham
Us lads who worked down in the pit
Knew if you got above the ground
You'd save your soul
Some way...