Bernie Parry 1977
The Teacups: https://haystackrecords.bandcamp.com/track/man-of-the-earth
Each day as I go through the old shantytown Where the sheds and allotments all stand
I see an old man on his land With a fork or a spade in his hand
And he’s there in all weather, in sunshine and rain And I hesitate as I walk past
Is he happy or sad with his task? Oh, I haven’t the time for to ask
Chorus:
A man of the Earth, a man of the soil
In his lonely allotment, he labors and toils
And he’s not much to do since he turned sixty-five
So he took to his garden to keep him alive
And I think it’s his joy and his pride
Fifty years in the ironworks broke his will And his back and his shoulders are round
There was no other work in the town So they had him both fettered and bound
Then all of a sudden, he turned sixty-five And the bosses said, “Thank you, my man”
And they stuck a gold watch in his hand And behind him the door quickly slammed
Each Saturday evening he’s down at the pub And he sits by himself at the bar
Slowly sipping the solitary jar Oh, a pension won’t go very far
So he sells a few things to his neighbors and friends Some things from his garden he grows
But he’s got to watch out how he goes Or they’ll stop all his pension, he knows
Each day as I go through the old shantytown Where the sheds and allotments all stand
I see an old man on his land With a fork or a spade in his hand
But I cannot linger, no I must be gone For I work at the ironworks too
I started there five years ago Only forty-five more to go