Collier's Rant, The

DESCRIPTION: As the singer and his marra/marrer (workmate) go to work, they meet the devil; the singer knocks off his horns and feet. The lights go out, the workmate goes the wrong way, and "Old Nick got me marra and I got the tram." He regrets the loss of his friend.
AUTHOR: Tommy Armstrong ?
EARLIEST DATE: 1809 (Ritson)
LONG DESCRIPTION: As the singer and his marra/marrer/marrow (workmate) are going to work, they meet the devil; the singer knocks the devil's horns and feet off with his pick. He breaks his bottle and spills the drink; the lights go out, the workmate goes the wrong way, and "Old Nick got me marra and I got the tram." He regrets the loss of his friend. Cho: "Follow the horses, Johnnie me laddie...Hey, lad, lie away, me canny lad-o"
KEYWORDS: fight death mining work friend worker Devil
FOUND IN: Britain(England(North))
REFERENCES (8 citations):
Gardham-EarliestVersions, "COLLIER'S RANT, THE"
Stokoe/Reay-SongsAndBalladsOfNorthernEngland, pp. 74-75, "The Collier's Rant" (1 text, 1 tune)
Broadwood/Maitland-EnglishCountySongs, pp. 10-11, "The Collier's Rant" (1 text, 1 tune)
MacColl-ShuttleAndCage-IndustrialFolkBallads, p. 15, "The Collier's Rant" (1 text, 1 tune)
DT, COLRRANT
ADDITIONAL: Joseph Ritson, The Northumberland Garland (London, 1809 (in Northern Garlands (London, 1810 ("Digitized by Google"))), #13 pp. 88-89, "The Collier's Rant" (1 text)
[Cuthbert Sharp], _The Bishopric Garland, A Collection of Legends, Songs, Ballads, &c Belonging to the County of Durham_, 1834 (references are to the 1969 reprint), pp. 52-54, "The Collier's Rant" (1 text, 1 tune on p. 86)
Jon Raven, _VIctoria's Inferno: Songs of the Old Mills, Mines, Manufacturies, Canals, and Railways_, Roadside Press, 1978, pp. 70-71, "The Collier's Rant" (1 text, 1 tune)
Roud #1366
RECORDINGS:
Bob Davenport, "The Collier's Rant" (on IronMuse1)
Pete Elliott, "The Collier's Rant" (on Elliotts01)
NOTES [88 words]: Broadwood/Maitland-EnglishCountySongs: "Words and tune from The Bishoprick Garland, p. 52." I don't find a tune there but it has an additional verse which, Sharpe writes, "does not appear to possess the same originality and antiquity with the foregoing."
Google Books has a no preview entry, apparently for a 1740 broadside, entitled "The Colliers Rant: a song," beginning "'As me and my marrow was ganning to wark." - BS
For (a little) background on author Tommy Armstrong, see the notes to "Durham Strike (Durham Lockout)." - RBW
Last updated in version 6.8
File: RcTColRa

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