Losing the reason

[Doug Thompson]

Losing the reason
When a coal mine closes, as every coal mine will
The consequences overflow, like water, down a hill
So everybody feels the pain, when their mine is lost
For living in a mining town, each must share the cost

When a coal mine closes, as every coal mine must
The consequences radiate, and some think this unjust
The children never chose their birth, in a town that’s fed by coal
And their father never chose a life, dependent on the dole

And all their mother wanted, was a loving home to keep
With a television, and a dog, and beds where they could sleep
So the men are all retraining now, they’ll earn a lower rate
As they now, compete with women, at the factory gate

So the mine is being dismantled, bringing short term work for some
And the buildings are restructured, hoping better things will come
Positive thoughts and tightening belts are the order of the day
When another, coal mine closes, and a coal town fades away

And the pylons on the hillside look bewildered, where they stand
With their cables sold for scrap, cast naked shadows on the land
As the headgear is dismantled, and conveyors and gantries too
The pylons stand and wait, because that’s all their trained to do