Springhill Mining Disaster Lyrics

Bono: "Like to...I'd like to try a song that I think we've only played once before, so. This is a city that a...a lot of Irish people came to this city, right? So this time...this Irish...these Irish people came as rock and roll band, okay? So...but this is a folk song. It's like...the Irish kinda' hold America in a very special place because, for over a hundred years or more, Irish have come over here to find work and find a future. And they brouught with them songs, old Irish folk songs that became old American folk songs. And, I hope maybe we'd leave behind some songs one day. This is a song written by Peggy Seeger. It's a song...I wished I'd heard this song on the raidio during the miners' strike in England a few years ago. This is called Springhill Mining Disaster." 

In the town of Springhill Nova Scotia
Down in the dark of the Cumberland mine
There's blood on the coal, and the miners lie
In roads that never saw sun or sky
Roads--


Bono: "Shut up for a second, will you? Stop whistling 'cause I'm not in the Beatles, okay? It's U2 here." 

In the town of Springhill
They don't sleep easy
Often the earth will tremble and roll
When the earth is restless
Miners die


Bone and blood is the price of coal
Bone and blood is the price of coal


Listen to the shouts of the black faced miner
Listen to the call of the rescue team
We have no water, light or bread
So we're living on songs and hope instead
Living on songs and hope instead


In the town of Springhill Nova Scotia
Down in the dark of the Cumberland mine
There's blood on the coal, and the miners lie
In roads that never saw sun or sky
Roads that never saw sun nor sky


In the town of Springhill
Don't sleep easy
Often the earth will tremble and roll
When the earth is restless
Miners die


Bone and blood is the price of coal
Bone and blood is the price of coal
Bone and blood is the price of coal


Bono: "Thanks for your patience. Thank you."