Call up the captain tell 'em I ain't comin' in He can dig his own coal something else is happenin' This living that i'm making is doin' us in It's broken the lives of too many good men Been hauling coal since I was big enough to fight Some 30 odd shifts without a glimpse of daylight The corporation likes to say that everything's alright Dig your self a hole, get outta' sight There's a dark cloud above me that's blocking out the sun Burn another hundred coal listen to the engines run One half is starving while the others having fun So call the captain, call the captain, call the captain, call the captain (chorus) Melinda close the door I ain't going down to the mines today I want clear blue skies and a whole lot more I ain't going down to the mines (verse) There's a hole in this bucket I've been carrying around I fill it up to the top and watch it spill on the ground I go down to the mines and when I come back up I got nothin' to show but the sweat on my brow These hills are my own flesh and bones There all that I love and there all that I've known Please don't ask me to destroy my home I'm not gonna choose between my heart and soul, so Call up the Captain tell him I ain't coming in He can dig his own coal something else is happening This living that making is doin' us in So call the captain, call the captain,....call the captain (solo) (chorus) Melinda close the door I ain't going down to the mines today I want clear blue skies and a whole lot more I ain't going down to the mines Hear the whistle blow this mornin' Hear the whistle blow today Hear the whistle blow this mornin' (chorus) Melinda close the door I ain't going down to the mines today I want clear blue skies and a whole lot more I ain't going down to the mines I ain't going down to the mines I ain't going down to the mines (end solo)