It was a ballad about children in a mining town?

[thelight777]

Back in 1989 I heard a song (sounded like a ballad) about children in a mining town. One of my buddies said it was an early Fleetwood Mac song. I don't remember anything about the title or the album, just a haunting memory. I guess it really made an impact on me. Thanks for any info you might be able to provide.

[aleuzzi]

Strange. I have no idea. "Dust" maybe? It's a ballad. The lyrics are comprised of the first stanza of a Rupert Brooke poem. I'm not sure of the rest of the poem's contents.

[thelight777]

Do you happen to mean "Gold Dust Woman" ? After you posted this I looked and found the lyrics to that song but that wasn't it. Ol Gold Dust Woman doesn't sound like she is having too much good luck. Any way thanks for the thought.

A few minutes later I found "Dust" that wasn't it either. Thanks again :)

[Jyqm]

Back in 1989 I heard a song (sounded like a ballad) about children in a mining town. One of my buddies said it was an early Fleetwood Mac song. I don't remember anything about the title or the album, just a haunting memory. I guess it really made an impact on me. Thanks for any info you might be able to provide.

Could it be "Child of Mine"? I mean, it's not really ballad, and the "mine" in the title is a possessive pronoun, but... maybe?

[sharksfan2000]

Like the other guesses here, this one doesn't entirely fit your description, but is it possible your friend meant early Bee Gees rather than Fleetwood Mac? Their first hit in the '60s was titled "New York Mining Disaster 1941". Found some further info about that song on this page:
http://www.geocities.com/gibbwords/new_york_mining_disaster_1941.htm

I can't think of any Fleetwood Mac song that would come close to fitting your description.

[BklynBlue]

I can not think of any Fleetwood Mac song that would fit either.
In truth, please do not take this wrong, it is not that I don't think that you are your friend could not tell the difference, my first thought at seeing your description of the song was the Simon & Garfunkel "reunion" single from 1975 "My Little Town".
I remember when the song was released, the NY critics just would not cut him any slack, even for "artistic license". For a guy who grew up in one of the five boroughs of New York City to sing of growing up in a mining town was just too much. :eek:

[chiliD]

Like the other guesses here, this one doesn't entirely fit your description, but is it possible your friend meant early Bee Gees rather than Fleetwood Mac? Their first hit in the '60s was titled "New York Mining Disaster 1941". Found some further info about that song on this page:
http://www.geocities.com/gibbwords/new_york_mining_disaster_1941.htm

I can't think of any Fleetwood Mac song that would come close to fitting your description.

I second this one.

[Jyqm]

I second this one.

I still say it could be "Child Of Mine"... that's clever ****, dammit.

[chiliD]

"Child Of Mine" ain't no ballad.

[thelight777]

I checked out the link to the Bee Gees song and that wasn't it, but thank you just the same. Y'all have been very helpful, I'm not giving up just yet let's just say I'm being extra patient. I haven't known the name of the song for this many years so a little more time won't hurt.

[Neb-Maat-Re]

I checked out the link to the Bee Gees song and that wasn't it, but thank you just the same. Y'all have been very helpful, I'm not giving up just yet let's just say I'm being extra patient. I haven't known the name of the song for this many years so a little more time won't hurt.

Given you heard it 1989 and your friend may have been wrong about the artist, could they also have been wrong about how old it was?

Does "Life In A Northern Town" (http://theacf.com/dreamac/lyrics/life_in_a_northern_town.html) fit?

[thelight777]

I just looked at the lyrics to Life in a Northern Town and that wasn't it either. There was some kind of tragedy it had to do with a mine and children.

[Neb-Maat-Re]

OK, could it be this: http://www.geocities.com/parrottsongs/lyrics/songs-a.html ?

I've never heard it, but it's about the same tragedy in Wales that inspired the BeeGees song.

[sharksfan2000]

Have you tried doing a Google search using some words you think might be in the song? I just did one and came up with a few songs, such as this one:http://www.geocities.com/parrottsongs/recordings/aberfan.html
Of course I have no idea if this is anything like what you're looking for, but a Google search will bring up more possibilities for you to check out.

[sharksfan2000]

Neb-Maat-Re - how funny that we both came up with the same song at the same time! :laugh:

[Neb-Maat-Re]

Neb-Maat-Re - how funny that we both came up with the same song at the same time! :laugh:

Spooky, really - especially since I went through a whole complicated process, and you just Googled it! :laugh:

What a sad event the Aberfan disaster was.

[thelight777]

I looked at the Aberfan lyrics and they seem close, I'll have to find the melody that goes with it to really know for sure. thanks :)

[sharksfan2000]

Just happened to hear a Woody Guthrie song on the radio driving home this evening, and I remembered this thread from about a year ago. Wonder if this could be the song..... http://www.woodyguthrie.org/Lyrics/Nineteen_Thirteen_Massacre.htm

Then, reading a little about the song here - http://www.1913massacre.com/song.html - I saw that he wrote another song about another mining town incident: http://www.woodyguthrie.org/Lyrics/Ludlow_Massacre.htm

Although I didn't spend the time to search for them, I'm sure you can find audio clips of these on the web. (OK...I found a link to an audio file of Bob Dylan performing "1913 Massacre" in 1961: http://www.bobdylanroots.com/1913.html)