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END OF THE LINE
A picture can bring back so many memories 
and a picture, can also tell a thousand stories
One such picture that sticks in my mind
Is a photograph of my colleagues going back to the mine.
It was taken after the 1984 coal miners dispute
of my friends and colleagues, still strong and resolute
Men who stayed loyal to the end
Men, who I am proud to call colleagues and friends
 
Lead back by King Will, with Leighton and Big Bri
Proudly carrying the banner, held up high
Eternal vigilance is the price of liberty
Is the wording on the banner, for all to see
Marching back to work, after a year of torment
Bullied and brutalised, by an uncaring Government
Underneath the banner, held up high
and every one of the men, their heads held high
Sadly, so many of this group are no longer here
Like so many comrades in the coal fields everywhere
Men who were willing, to fight for what was right
Not for financial gain, but for their children's birth right
Gone but not forgotten, not here anymore
Departed this world, and knocked on Heavens door
Gone, but their legacy, is the stories they would tell
Sitting together in Heaven, their souls never to sell
Sometimes on a clear night, I look up to the stars
and wonder, where these friends are?
And often, with a tear in my eye
I think of my colleagues, most of all my friend Big Bri
These men, men who were of special breed
Fighting for the right to work, for their families to feed
Fighting for their jobs, and communities to save
men, who took the fight to the grave
So, if you too have some old photographs
Share them with your friends, smile and laugh
These men, strong, stubborn and resolute
Going back to work, heads held high after the 1984 miners dispute.

Copyright Ralph Jones

 
 
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