Black Lung
Verse 1
Wake up in the holler, lungs heavy as stone,
Coal dust and silica, deep in every bone.
They say the seams are thinner, so we cut through rock,
Who needs clean air when you can breathe a black cloud ‘round the clock?
Chorus
Black lung, black lung, sing it loud and proud,
Who needs clean air when you can breathe in a black cloud?
Cough up some blood, wipe your mouth, don’t you fuss,
Just another day in the mines for the rest of us.
Verse 2
Silica dust in the air, invisible and mean,
Turns your lungs to scar tissue, no cure to be seen.
Shortness of breath, tight chest, you know the score,
But safety rules are for sissies, so say the men in D.C. once more.
Bridge
Coughing up black mucus, sometimes streaked with red,
Doctors say “asthma,” but you know what’s ahead.
Lungs stiff as mountain shale, hope’s getting thin,
But at least the coal barons always seem to win.
Verse 3
Trump’s folks in Washington, they sure know the drill:
Cut the black lung programs, shut down clinics on the hill.
Laid off the screeners, sent the health checks away,
Compassion’s just a word they never learned to say.
Verse 4
Silica rule delayed, inspectors shown the door,
Miners left to wonder what the layoffs were for.
They say it’s “efficiency,” but it feels more like neglect,
When coughing up blood’s the only benefit you get.
Chorus
Black lung, black lung, sing it loud and proud,
Who needs clean air when you can breathe in a black cloud?
Cough up some blood, wipe your mouth, don’t you fuss,
Just another day in the mines for the rest of us.
Outro
So here’s to the miners, still digging for pay,
Trading years of their life for a black-lung bouquet.
If you’re lucky you’ll see grandkids, but don’t hold your breath-
Not when every inhale brings you closer to death.
DrummerDave26
