As of Tuesday at 9:10 a.m. CST, the death toll from a blast at a West Virginia coal mine rose to 25, making it the worst mining accident in the United States in 25 years. Four miners four miners were still missing, and officials said it was likely that those men also had been killed in the explosion on Monday - New York Times. Massey Energy and Don Blankenship need to be help accountable for the deaths of these hard-working West Virginians.
Here is a video from 1980 of Jean Ritchie performing "West Virginia Mine Disaster," which is based on the flooding of a coal mine in Hominy Falls, West Virginia. The song is incredibly timely and moving. Please keep the families and friends of these miners, as well as all of Appalachia's underground coal miners in your thoughts. And let your voice be heard in any way possible.
Lyrics:
West Virginia Mine Disaster
© Jean Ritchie, Geordie Music Publishing
Oh Say, did you see him; it was early this morning.
He passed by your houses on his way to the coal.
He was tall, he was slender, and his dark eyes so tender
His occupation was mining, West Virginia his home
It was just before noon, I was feeding the children,
Ben Moseley came running to give us the news.
Number eight was all flooded, many men were in danger
And we don't know their number, but we fear they're all doomed
I picked up the baby and I left all the others
To comfort each other and to pray for their own
There's Tommy, fourteen, and there's John not much younger
And their time soon is coming to go down the dark hole
What will I say to his poor little children?
And what will I tell his dear mother at home?
And it's what will I say to my heart that's clear broken?
To my heart that's clear broken if my darling is gone
If I had the money to do more than just feed them
I'd give them good learning, the best could be found
So when they growed up they'd be checkers and weighers
And not spend their whole life in the dark underground
Oh say, did you see him; it was early this morning.
He passed by your houses on his way to the coal
He was tall, he was slender, and his dark eyes so tender
His occupation was mining, West Virginia his home.
© Jean Ritchie, Geordie Music Publishing
Oh Say, did you see him; it was early this morning.
He passed by your houses on his way to the coal.
He was tall, he was slender, and his dark eyes so tender
His occupation was mining, West Virginia his home
It was just before noon, I was feeding the children,
Ben Moseley came running to give us the news.
Number eight was all flooded, many men were in danger
And we don't know their number, but we fear they're all doomed
I picked up the baby and I left all the others
To comfort each other and to pray for their own
There's Tommy, fourteen, and there's John not much younger
And their time soon is coming to go down the dark hole
What will I say to his poor little children?
And what will I tell his dear mother at home?
And it's what will I say to my heart that's clear broken?
To my heart that's clear broken if my darling is gone
If I had the money to do more than just feed them
I'd give them good learning, the best could be found
So when they growed up they'd be checkers and weighers
And not spend their whole life in the dark underground
Oh say, did you see him; it was early this morning.
He passed by your houses on his way to the coal
He was tall, he was slender, and his dark eyes so tender
His occupation was mining, West Virginia his home.
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