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Written By Ewan MacColl

lyrics

There’s a bloke I know in Scabsville who’s known as Holy Joe;
He’s working on a face down in the mine.
On his way to work you’ll see him give the finger to his mates
As the cops escort him through the picket line.

Chorus: The kids all call you ‘Brown Nose’, Holy Joe.
They say the Coal Board bought you long ago.
A scab who covered wife and kids with shame,
If they’ve got any sense they’ll change their name.

You can see this man of principle performing on the box,
‘Freedom’ is a favourite word of Joe’s;
It’s a case of ‘I’m all right, Jack!’ and he’s free to be a scab,
That’s the only principle he knows. (chorus)

You can tell him that his job’s in danger, he won’t turn a hair;
He doesn’t understand the simple fact
That when they start to close the pits they won’t know when to stop
Or hesitate to give Brown Nose the sack. (chorus)

Joe just loves his video, his telly and his car,
But he doesn’t think the union’s all that hot;
He’s forgotten the old-timers who made the union strong,
Who fought for all the benefits he’s got. (chorus)

The other night I dreamed that Holy Joe came to the pit;
Butch MacGregor with an axe was standing guard.
He said, ‘We’re grateful for the way you helped us smash the N.U.M.
Now you’ve served your purpose, here’s your cards.’ (chorus)

Holy Joe grew pale as death and cried, ‘You can’t do that to me!’
‘Sucker, do you wanna bet?’ said Mac.
‘We can flush you down the toilet, we can bury you in slack
Now you don’t have any union at your back.’ (chorus)

The moral of this story is directed at the mugs
Who’ve taken on the blacklegs’ dirty role:
By scabbing you’re endangering the future of the mines
And asking for a lifetime on the dole. (chorus)

credits

from Daddy, What Did You Do In The Strike?, released July 14, 1984
Ewan MacColl - vocals
Calum MacColl - guitar
Peggy Seeger - guitar

Produced by Calum MacColl
Recorded by Nick Godwin
Recorded at Parrot Studios, Bromley

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Ewan MacColl London, UK

This site is maintained by the MacColl family, aiming to make Ewan's catalogue available to download.
Ewan MacColl is known to most as a songwriter and singer, but he was also of significant influence in the worlds of theatre and radio broadcasting. His art reached huge numbers through the folk clubs, greater numbers through his recordings and untold millions through the radio. ... more

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