"Blackleg Miner" is a 19th-century English folk song, originally from Northumberland. Its Roud number is 3193. The song is one of the most controversial English folk songs owing to its depiction of violence against strikebreakers.
Origins
The song is believed to originate from the miners' lockout of 1844. Although this was a national lock-out, the language of the song suggests that it refers to the dispute in the north-east coalfield, which lasted roughly 20 weeks. The lockout largely collapsed as a result of "blackleg" labour. The village of Seghill, mentioned in the song, was the site of a mass eviction of striking miners during the 1844 lockout. Thomas Burt wrote of the situation: The song depicts the determined, uncompromising stance against strikebreakers adopted by unionized strikers. The term blackleg for a strikebreaker has its origins in coal mining, as strikebreakers would return covered in black coal dust which would give away that they had been working whilst others had been on strike. The coal-mining sector in the UK was always heavily unionised, and mining strikes such as in 1926, 1974 and 1984-5 have had big impacts on British society. The strikes caused bitterness both within and between pit communities, but also gave rise to expressions of solidarity such as sympathy strikes, material assistance such as food, and a feeling of belonging to a proud and powerful community of workers. The lyrics describe tactics common for attacking strikebreakers in the 19th century. Across the way they stretch a line/ To catch the throat and break the spine/ Of the dirty blackleg miner describes how a rope was often stretched across the entrance to a colliery to catch strikebreakers by the throat and flick them backwards, often causing them to injure themselves through falling. Strikebreakers were often stripped of their clothes and working tools once caught.
Revival
For a period in the 1960s and 1970s, the song's uncompromising lyrics were appreciated for their directness and militancy by many young people radicalized by the student rebellions of 1968, and the song was often sung at folk music societies. In particular, a 1970 recording by Steeleye Span became very popular. The album's sleeve notes read: This was not entirely accurate: the song had been released on a number of records of miners' songs in the 1960s and also featured on Ray and Archie Fisher's 1964 album The Hoot'nanny Show Volume 2. In addition, the song dated from the 1844 strike - much earlier than indicated by Steeleye Span. Ewan MacColl noted a variant named The Blackleg Leaders, sung when union leaders did not support unofficial strikes.
Use in 1984–85 strike
The song gained another revival during the hard-fought strike of the 1980s, and playing it became a political statement in support of the strike. The Steeleye Span recording was often played to intimidate working miners. Violent clashes during the 1980s strike made some uncomfortable with the song's advocacy of violence against strikebreakers. Some folk clubs avoided the song for this reason. "Blackleg Miner" has been unwelcome in areas where most miners worked through the 1984-85 strike, such as Nottinghamshire and Leicestershire. However, there has also been an increase in bands covering the song since the strike. Scottish folk musician Dick Gaughan wrote of the change in attitude to the song after the strike of 1984-5:
In the Northumbrian dialect, the wordwork rhymes with dark. However, virtually all singers do not rhyme the first two lines of the song. Ewan MacColl is one of the exceptions, as he attempted to sing the song with Northumbrian pronunciation throughout. Divint gaan is Northumbrian dialect for don't go. Some versions say dinna gang, which is the dialect for an area slightly further north, in Scotland. It's in the evening after dark, When the blackleg miner creeps to work, With his moleskin pants and dirty shirt, There gaans the blackleg miner! Well he takes his tools and doon he gaans To hew the coal that lies below, There's not a woman in this town-row Will look at the blackleg miner. Oh, Delaval is a terrible place. They rub wet clay in the blackleg's face, And aroond the heaps they run a foot race, To catch the blackleg miner! So, divvint gaan near the Seghill mine. Across the way they stretch a line, To catch the throat and break the spine Of the dirty blackleg miner. They grab his duds and his pick as well, And they hoy them down the pit of hell. Doon ye gaan, and fare ye well, You dirty blackleg miner! So join the union while you may. Divvin't wait till your dying day, For that may not be far away, You dirty blackleg miner!
