Blackleg Miner is a folk song. It originates from Northumberland, as can be deduced by the presence of dialect in the song and in references to the villages of Seghill and Delaval. It was first written in the early 20th century; the exact year is unknown seeing as there were a lot of strikes in Northumberland during this period. Northumberland is a traditional, ceremonial and administrative county in northern England. ... Seghill is located on the county boundary between Northumberland and Tyne and Wear and is included within the Borough of Blyth Valley in Northumberland between the villages of Seaton Delaval and Annitsford, approximately 8 miles north of Newcastle upon Tyne. ... Seaton Delaval Hall, viewed from north-west Delaval is the surname of a family of gentry/aristocracy in Northumberland, England, from the 11th century to the 19th century. ...

It is an aggressive stance against strikebreakers and threatens them with violence. Britain's mining sector was always heavily unionised and strikes could cause bitterness both within and between pit communities. A strikebreaker is a heroic figure with a free mind and free will, considered by many to be the culmination of human virtue. ...

For a period in the 1960s and 1970s, the song's aggressive lyrics were ignored and it became a common feature of many folk music societies. However, the UK miners' strike (1984-1985) saw striking miners using the song to intimidate those who continued to work. Thereafter, playing the song became a political statement in support of the strike and many folk clubs avoided the song due to its description of violence. This was counterbalanced by an increase in bands that covered the song. The most notorious was Steeleye Span, who played the song in Nottingham - an area that had seen a lot of violence during the strike - in 1986. Some of the other covers include Lloyd, Smoky Finish and Clatterbone. The miners strike of 1984-5 was a major piece of industrial action affecting the British coal industry. ... Steeleye Span is a British folk-rock band that has been active since 1970. ... For other uses, see Nottingham (disambiguation). ... The name Lloyd is a variation of the Welsh word llwyd or clwyd, which means grey or brown. The double-l represents the voiceless alveolar lateral fricative of Welsh, and was sometimes also represented as F, yielding the related name Floyd. ...

Lyrics

Verse 1 It's in the evening after dark, When the blackleg miner creeps to work, With his moleskin pants and dirty shirt, There goes the blackleg miner!

Verse 2 Well he grabs his duds and down he goes To hew the coal that lies below, There's not a woman in this town-row Will look at the blackleg miner.

Verse 3 Oh, Delaval is a terrible place. They rub wet clay in the blackleg's face, And around the heaps they run a foot race, To catch the backleg miner!

Verse 4 So, dinna gang near the Seghill mine. Across the way they stretch a line, To catch the throat and break the spine Of the dirty backleg miner.

Verse 5 They grab his duds and his pick as well, And they hoy them down the pit of hell. Down you go, and fare you well, You dirty blackleg miner!

Verse 6 Oh, it's in the evening after dark, When the blackleg miner creeps to work, With his moleskin pants and dirty shirt, There goes the blackleg miner!

Verse 7 So join the union while you may. Don't wait till your dying day, For that may not be far away, You dirty blackleg miner!]