Henry's Songbook

Aa'm glad the strike's done

Aa'm glad the strike's done, shooted lang Geordie Reid
To the group that was standin' aroond
For the care and anxiety's nigh torned me heid
And aa's gettin' as thin as a hoond
For ye knaa me and Jenny had promised te wed
When the money te start hoose was won
But the unlucky stop caused wor spirits te drop
So Aa's glad very glad the strike's done

Oh, Aa's glad the strike's done, said a half-grown lad
For wor brass it was gettin' se short
And the bowlin' and runnin' was gyen te the bad
And we'd nigh seen the finish te sport
Te Newcastle Races se merry and blait
We'll yet start like a shot of a gun
And it's nane ower late te back one for the Plate
So Aa's glad very glad the strike's done

Oh, Aa's glad the strike's done for the sake of me wife
Says a brave little chap i' the crowd
For the pinchin' and plannin' and sorrow and strife
Nearly had the poor lass in her shroud
Noo wor canny bit bairns'll look tidy and trim
When te chapel on Sundays they're teun
And how thankful, says he, iverybody should be
That the unlucky strike is now done

Oh, Aa's glad the strike's done, cried oot shopkeeper Joe
And his words expressed all that he said
For his fyece wore a smile and his lips give a smack
As he talked o' the prospects o' trade
How the business would thrive as it did once before
And the wheels of prosperity run
Ay, and Aa'll get mi whack, says shopkeeper Jack
So Aa's glad very glad the strike's done

Then the crowd all agreed wi' a nod o' the heed
They were pleased the bad job was put streight
And a woman or two as the crowd they passed through
Give full vent te their happy delight
While the bairns in the street wi' their voices se sweet
In the height o' the glory and fun
Shooted, Hip hip hooray, whey it's settled th' day
And we're glad very glad the strike's done

(as sung by the High Level Ranters)

Plate - Northumberland Plate, a horse race sometimes called the 'miners' derby'

Susannes Folksong-Notizen

 [1975:] A Tyneside journalist, Thomas Kerr wrote this song in 1890. It recounts the hardship and suffering that industrial disputes cause for the entire community, each person feeling the effect in his or her own peculiar way and the relief which follows when eventually all return to work. (Notes 'The Bonnie Pit Laddie')