Don’t go down the mine Dad

AKADream of a miner’s child
First published1910
LyricsRobert DonnellyMusic Will GeddesRoudRN2334
Music Hall performersFrank Boyce, 1910
JH Greener, 1910-14
Folk performancesJohn Foreman 1960s
George Dunn
Lucy Woodhall
A miner was leaving his home for his work,
When he heard his little child scream;
He went to his bedside, his little white face,
"Oh, Daddy, I've had such a dream;
I dreamt that I saw the pit all afire,
And men struggled hard for their lives;
The scene it then changed, and the top of the mine
Was surrounded by sweethearts and wives.

"Don't go down in the mine, Dad,
Dreams very often come true;
Daddy, you know it would break my heart
If anything happened to you;
Just go and tell my dream to your mates,
And as true as the stars that shine,
Something is going to happen today,
Dear Daddy, don't go down the mine!"

The miner, a man with a heart good and kind,
Stood by the side of his son;
He said, "It's my living, I can't stay away,
For duty, my lad, must be done."
The little one look'd up, and sadly he said,
"Oh, please stay today with me, Dad!"
But as the brave miner went forth, to his work,
He heard this appeal from his lad:

Whilst waiting his turn with the mates to descend,
He could not banish his fears,
He return'd home again to his wife and his child,
Those words seem'd to ring through his ears,
And, ere the day ended, the pit was on fire,
When a score of brave men lost their lives;
He thank'd God above for the dream his child had,
As once more the little one cries:

A song written for the Halls which crossed the oceans and became firmly entrenched in traditional music in North America and Australia. The lyrics were written by Robert Donnelly, who specialised in sentimental songs including You shall not work down a mine Lad, presumably a sequel to this song.

Don’t go down the mine dad was originally popularised by JH Greener, aka “The Singing Pit Lad”, who was performing it in the Halls between 1910 and 14 and then disappears…. I am investigating this person – at the moment all I know is that he sang this song in the Halls of Birmingham, London and Wales: perhaps a one-hit wonder, lost in the War? (speculation at present).

In America it was a “hill-billy” hit for Blind Andy Jenkins in 1925 under the title “The dream of the miner’s child”, a song which apparently featured in the early repertoire of Woody Guthrie! The VWML shows it appearing in many collections of American songs and recorded by a substantial number of traditional American singers. It has been collected a handful of times from UK traditional singers, always in the 2nd half of the 20th century. It may be one of those songs that has travelled back from the former colonies…

Occasionally confused with The miner’s dream of home, a different song ..

Sources:

How it sounded originally (more or les)

By the magnificent Stanley Brothers:

Last Updated on March 16, 2024 by John Baxter | Published: March 11, 2020

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