Looking for Welsh mining songs (in English)

[sianb]

I've been looking for Welsh mining-songs (in English) for quite some time and can't seem to find any apart from 'The Bells of Rhymney'. I'd like to add some to my family history (and my repertoire) as I have many South Welsh mining ancestors.

Does anyone know of any?

Sian

[Garethboxing]

To be honest, I'm not sure there are any - certainly in common usage. And even 'Bells of Rhymney" is not a Welsh mining song. It was a poem by Idris Davies, which was put to music in the US by Pete Seeger and was never sung in Wales until he introduced it to us.

   Gareth

[Gadget]

Hello

I have an very tattered copy of Come All Ye Bold Miners: Ballads and Songs of the Coalfields by A. L. Lloyd, published in 1952

It includes work collected from all the UK coalfields, including a large section from Wales.

It might be possible for you to get a secondhand copy or many of the works included could be on the internet. Have you tried Googling?

gnu

[Romilly]

And then theres...

'Don't go down the mine Dad!'

See:

http://www.fortunecity.com/tinpan/parton/2/dontgo.html

Romilly.

[sianb]

Hi, thanks to all who've replied. I've been googling welsh mining songs for years off and on and haven't come up with anything. All the British mining songs in circulation seem to be from the North East of England and Yorkshire/Derbyshire - even the contemporary singer songwriters don't seem to have touched on it in Wales. There are a huge number from America which were apparently started off by welsh miners who emigrated.

I'll have to see if I can get a copy of the A.L Lloyd book through the library (although ours is closed for refurbishing at the moment) the only copy I found online was going for £28 !!!

The search continues.

Thanks again

Sian

[Berlin-Bob]

Hi Sian,

As an ex- folk singer ("that was then !!"), who also lived in Wales, I can't remember any welsh mining songs either.  There was a (joke) song about Cosher Bailey (Crawshay Bailey) with thousands of verses, but it wasn't about mining, and the Baileys owned iron miners, anyway, I believe.

I have an very tattered copy of Come All Ye Bold Miners: Ballads and Songs of the Coalfields by A. L. Lloyd, published in 1952

Hi Gnu,

If Sian can't find a copy of A.L. Lloyd, maybe you could give us the titles of the welsh songs,
so we can help Sian scour the internet for them 

Bob

[Garethboxing]

Sian,
         You say "even contemporary singer songwriters don't seem to have touched on it in Wales" - what about Max Boyce? An ex-miner himself, he wrote many songs about mining and, particularly, the aftermath of pit closures.
         "Collier Lad", "Duw, it's hard!", "Did You Understand" and "Rhondda Grey" show he could write about more than rugby.
         There are other examples in Welsh, none better than Huw Chiswell's "Y Cwm".

          Gareth

[ozlady]

Max Boyce also wrote a beautiful and touching poem about Aberfan.

[Gadget]

Hello again

I can't find my copy at the moment. It was an inheritance from my father and not something that I read very often. I'll have another search.

I do recall The Gresford Minning Disaster OK North Wales not South but still relevant:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gresford_Disaster#A_Song_of_Remembrance

Another line are the traditional welsh songs sung by the many Male Voice Choirs, often miners in days gone by. A particular favourite is Myfanwy. The English lyrics are found here:

http://www.xs4all.nl/~werksman/cale/lyrics/myfanwy.html

The Welsh ones are much more poignant though:

http://www.contemplator.com/tunebook/wales/myfanwy.htm

A wider selection can be found here:

http://www.newi.ac.uk/buckleyc/welshmidi/welshmusic.htm


gnu