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Until Another Man's Killed

Merv Lilley
Language: English



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‎[1963]‎
Poesia scritta da Merv Lilley‎
Musica di Bill Berry
In “What About The People”, una raccolta di poesie di Dorothy Hewett e Merv Lilley pubblicata ‎dal National Council of the Realist Writers nel 1963.‎
Testo trovato su Union Songs




Mount Isa è una città mineraria nel Queensland australiano. Lì dal 1923 ci sono le Mount Isa Mines, ‎tra le miniere più produttive di sempre al mondo per quanto concerne l’estrazione di piombo, ‎argento, rame e zinco. Nel 1964 – poco dopo l’ennesimo incidente cui si riferisce questa canzone – ‎Mount Isa fu teatro di uno dei più lunghi e duri scioperi dei minatori che la storia ricordi, 8 mesi ‎ininterrotti di chiusura dei pozzi che portarono il governo della regione alla proclamazione dello ‎stato d’emergenza. A capeggiare la lotta, il carismatico Tom Dougherty, detto “Big Tom”, a capo ‎dell’Australian Workers' Union dal 1944 al 1972, anno della sua morte.‎
In Mt. Isa mine a man was killed,
Twelve hundred feet below,
A man crushed up by a fall of lead,
Twelve hundred feet below.‎

The miners came to the surface then,
For twenty-four hours below
When a man is killed they mourn a man,
For twenty-four hours below.‎

A Yankee cartel owned the mine,
So full of lead below,
A Yankee boss he watched the line,
Of the funeral from below.‎

‎"Well goddam man," at last he said,
‎" if you stop work for a man that's dead
You never will work again," he said,
And he was fairly blowing.‎

‎"If you stop work for twenty-four,
You never will work no goddam more;
We'll kill a man a day," he said,
‎" When we get really going.‎

‎"They bury their comrades with the rest,
And watch while his grave is filled, O.
Then they go to work with a right good will,
UNTIL ANOTHER MAN'S KILLED, O.
UNTIL ANOTHER MAN'S KILLED.‎

Contributed by Bartleby - 2012/1/3 - 08:27




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