it was a coal town he spent his whole life in a hole in the ground smashing pieces of earth he never really saw the sky it was a hard life but little black rocks make the televisions work and put food on the table until the unions cast him aside now there s a hundred challenging things a boy can do when you ve waved goodbye and held more tears in than anyone ever should and all my sorrows pale to insignificance that s why i love you she was in a strange land she taught herself to read from doing crosswords and hiding her accent she cast her dreams aside she had a spark in her eye she never saw her son on his wedding day or our cherry blossoms falling down from the sky now there s a hundred challening things a boy can do when you ve waved goodbye and held more tears in than anyone ever should and all my sorrows pale to insignificance that s why i love you no coal mines no not a trace now shopping malls take their place no picket lines the sacrifice dreams overrun hopes for a future for her son in ollerton now there s a hundred challenging things a boy can do when you ve waved goodbye and held more tears in than anyone ever should and all my sorrows pale to insignificance that s why she loves you a hundred challenging things a boy can do wave goodbye wave goodbye a hundred challenging say goodbye to you