Ewan MacColl - Song Of The Iron Road lyrics

(Ewan MacColl) The Iron road's a hard road and the work is never ending Working night and day on the iron way We're the boys who keep the engines rolling You sigh on at the loco shed, they put you to the cleaning In your dungarees, cleaning super dees You're a sweeper-upper, brewer-upper, shovel slinger Spanner bringer Steam raiser, fire dropper, general cook and bottle washer Learning how to keep 'em rolling When you've done your time at the loco shed And had your share of trouble On the old footplate, you're the driver's mate And you're married to a lousy shovel It's check the water, check the tools and chuck The blooming coal in Give the gauge a wipe, check injector pipe, now it's Swing your shovel at the double, give her rock Watch the clock Steam rising, sweat running, back aching, bone shaking Fireman, fireman, keep her rolling When you've shoveled a million tons of coal Some ten or twelve years later And your only dream is of raising steam Then they hand to you your drivers papers The iron road is a hard road and the work is never ending Working night and day on the iron way, we're the Loco drivers, early riser, lodging turners, mile burners Eleven quid a week earners We're the boys that keep 'em rolling