Ghost of the Coal Mine (music and words: R. Hanna)
Father worked the coal mines into an early grave Sixty hour weeks and not a hope for a raise McCallahan, the bossman, had an iron fist up his ass But now he’s haunted by the demons of his despicable past Father lead five men into an unexplored cave And in a flash the ceiling crashed, no one could be saved Well, that’s the way things go,” McCallahan said to my ma And he left us standing on his porch, our mouths dropped in awe The next day he forgot that we were even there at all
Chorus: Now all of the day, the screams of dying men in pain Clouds this ruthless bastard’s mind who brushed them to the side And in some feeble way, my father’s death was not in vain As no one dares to work inside a haunted coal mine
Now every time McCallahan takes a puff from a cigar His mouth fills up with coal dust and he spits it to the floor And every time he sees his reflection in the mirror My father’s blackened corpse stands directly to his rear The workers couldn’t stand the evil howling in the caves Or the visions of canaries disembowled by pick-axe blades And when he goes to sleep McCallahan opens one eye Forever haunted by the ghosts of those six brave men that died Forever at the mercy of his evil, foolish pride