Set to a traditional folk tune, the lyrics were written by a miner called William Hornsby during the Durham and Northumberland miner’s strike in 1844. The strike was called in an effort to end the harsh treatment and low wages which miners were subject to. The chorus is of a fairly traditional “derry down derry down” format but may be a reference to the 3rd Marquess of Londonderry who was the foremost coal owner in the region at that time (portraits of him are included in the slide show). The final slide “Boy in the Cowboy Hat” is by my olde school chum Alan Tomlinson, the son of a Yorkshire miner. Multi-tracked at home on classical guitar, bansitar, chimes and voice.
