HAZARD, KENTUCKY

(PHIL OCHS) (c. 1963)

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Lyrics as reprinted in liner notes for Phil Ochs, "The Broadside Tapes 1" (Smithsonian Folkways SF 4008), 1989.
© c. 1963 Phil Ochs; originally published in Broadside #20

Well, some people say that Unions are too strong,
Union leaders should go back where they belong;
But I wish that they could see
A little more of poverty,
And they might start to sing a different song.

CHORUS:
Well, minin' is a hazard in Hazard, Kentucky,
And if you ain't minin' there,
Well, my friends, you're awful lucky;
'Cause if you don't get silicosis or pay that's just atrocious,
You'll be screamin' for a Union that will care.
Well, the Depression was ended with the war,
But nobody told Kentucky, that is sure.
Some are living in a sewer while jobs are getting fewer,
But more coal is mined than ever before.

Well, the badge of Sheriff Combs always shines,
And when duty calls he seldom ever whines.
Well, I don't like raisin' thunder, but it sort of make you wonder
When he runs the law and also runs the mines.

Well, our standard of living is highest all around,
But our standard of giving is the lowest when you're down.
So I give a yell and a whistle when they light that Union missile
And we'll lift our feet up off the ground.

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