come all you colliers who work down the mine from scotland to south wales from teesdale to tyne i ll sing you a song about the pound a week rise and the men who were fooled by the government s lies and it s down you go down below jack where you never see the skies and you re workin in a dungeon for your pound a week rise in 19 and 60 a few years ago the mineworkers leaders to lord robens did go sayin we work very hard every day we risk our lives and we ask you here and now for a pound a week rise well up spoke lord robens and he made this decree he said when the out put rises with you i will agree i ll raise up all your wages i ll give to you fair pay for i once were a miner and i worked hard in my day the miners they went home they worked hard and well their lungs filled with coal dust in the bosom of hell the output rose by fifteen eighteen percent and more and when two years had passed and gone it rose about a score the miners they went to get their hard earned prize they asked lord robens for their pound a week rise robens wouldn t give a pound he wouldn t give ten bob he gave em seven and six and said get back to your jobs so come all you colliers take heed what i say don t believe lord robens when he says he ll give fair pay he ll tell you to work hard and make the output rise but you ll get pie in the sky instead of a pound a week rise