Maerdy

There's mist down in the valley
And the snow lies on the hill
No men walk through the empty street
The pit lies quiet and still
There's a keen wind down the valley road
That bites into your skin
But the people of the Rhondda
Will keep fighting 'til they win

Oh Maerdy, oh Maerdy
The last pit in the Rhondda

When I was small I used to sit
Down by the fire side
To hear the tales of struggle
That would fill my heart with pride
I heard of the evictions back in 1932
When the people of the Rhondda
Wouldn't let the bailiffs through

Oh Maerdy, oh Maerdy
The last pit in the Rhondda

They told me of a valley
That we'll never see again
When the coal mines found employment
For forty thousand men
The anthracite was plentyful
Down in that Rhondda seam
But the owners wanted closures
And economising schemes

Oh Maerdy, oh Maerdy
The last pit in the Rhondda

My father had to fight
To earn a living from the mine
If he was here today
He'd join us on the picket line
His lungs were full of Maerdy dust
For that's the price of coal
The dust it took his body
But the union gained his soul

Oh Maerdy, oh Maerdy
The last pit in the Rhondda

The women of the Rhondda
Are out on the picket line
To stop the coal board's closure plans
And save the Maerdy mine
Fighting for our children
And the town where we belong
You'll hear their voices singing
"We are women, we are strong!"

Oh Maerdy, oh Maerdy
The last pit in the Rhondda

I marched with men from Cottenwood
And with their cursely wives
I joined the Durrum miners
Like us fighting for our lives
I've stood with lads from Nottingham
Down on that Orgreave field
I've faced the dogs and truncheons
And the bloody riot shields

Oh Maerdy, oh Maerdy
The last pit in the Rhondda

There's mist down in the valley
And there's snow upon the hill
No men walk through the empty street
The pit lies quiet and still
There's a keen wind down the valley road
That bites into your skin
But the people of the Rhondda
Will keep fighting 'til they win

Oh Maerdy, oh Maerdy
The last pit in the Rhondda