Down, Down, Down

Down, Down, Down
Performer(s): William E. Keating



With your kind attention, a song I will trill
all ye who must toil with the pick and the drill
and sweat for your bread in that hole in Oak Hill
that goes down, down, down

When I was a boy my Daddy said to me
"Stay out of the mines, take my warning", said he
"Or with dust you'll bechoked and a pauper you'll be
broken down, down, down

But I went to Oak Hill and I asked for a job
a mule for to drive, or a gangway to rob
The boss said
"Come out, Bill, and follow the mob, that goes down, down, down

Said Pete McAvoy, "Here's Bill Keatin' the scamp"
Just back, Pete suggested, from a million mile tramp
Then he showed me a windle where I'd get a lamp to go down, down, down

The lamp man he squints through the windle at me
"What's your name and your age and your number?" said he
"Bill Keatin', I'm thirty, number twenty-three, mark that down, down, down

With a frown for disfavor, my joke it was met
For an argument plainly, Jim Griffiths was set
For he told me that divil a lamp would I get to go down, down, down

With an old greasy apron he polished his speck
he declared of the rules he'd be makin' a wreck
if he'd give me a lamp without a brass check to go down, down, down

A contraption he gave me, a hose on a box
'twas so heavy I thought it was loaded with rocks
If a car jumped the road, you could use it for blocks while you're down, down, down

I asked him what tools would I need in the place
"Very few," said the boss with a grin on his face
"One number-six shovel and darn little space while you're down, down, down

When you're drivin' the gangway you needs lots of tools
and you bring them yourself, it's the anthracite rules
but a laggin' suffices to drive balky mules, when you're down, down, down

At drivin' a mule I'm not overly slick
but the plugs in Oak Hill I showed many's a trick
when I hollered, "Yah," if they started to kick, they went down, down, down

Then up to the head of the shaft I made haste
I saluted the top man and stood on my place
I says, "Give me a cage for I've no time to waste, let me down, down, down

"All aboard for the bottom!" the top man did yell
we stepped on the cage, and we gave her the bell
Then from under our feet, like a bat out o'hell, she went down, down, down