Chords for Dick Gaughan - Ballad of '84

_ [F#] _ _ _ _ _ _ _
[B] _ _ [C#] _ [F#] Come gather round me people and I'll sing to you a [B] song _
About a [F#] famous battle [G#m] that went on for [C#] so long
[F#] For it's a tale of grief and courage, of pain and [B] bravery
One of the [F#] finest pages [C#] written in our [F#] history
[C#] While we all know songs that tell of [G#] workers' struggles [C#] long ago
Of [B] UCS, of puddles, [C#m] troops, [G#] repentant villains
[C#] So I'm [F#] here to sing to you the praises of the women [B] and the men
Who dared the might [F#] of Tories [G#m] fight, the [B] future to defend
_ [F#] _ _ [G#m] _ [F#] _ _ [C#] _
It was [F#] in March of _ 1984, the gauntlet was [B] thrown down
When MacGregor told the [F#] NUM [G#m] these pits [C#] are closing down
[F#] Ach, Gerard, Mike MacGregor, the miners' [B] answer came
We fought the board [F#] in 74 [C#] and we'll fight you once [B] again
[F#] _
From [C#] South Wales across to Yorkshire, [G#m] from Scotland [C#] down to Kent
The miners [B] showed the NCB [C#] that [G#] what they [C#m] said they meant
[F#] Except the scabs that sold the future out to Thatcher and [B] our gang
And turned traitor [F#] to their [C#m] class, their names [B] forever damned
[F#] _ _ _ [B] _
[C#] And _ _ _ [F#] in Fleet Street and in Downing Street a wondrous [B] sight was seen
You found converts [F#] to democracy, [G#m] soon all began [C#] to scream
[F#] You can't strike without a ballot, well fed mouths were [B] heard to bleat
You won't ballot [F#] us out of our [C#] jobs, we're voting with our [B] _ [F#m] feet
[C#] Soon armies of blue [G#] uniforms were marching through [C#] the land
With horses, [B] dogs and riot shields [C#] and [G#m] truncheons in [C#m] both hands
[F#] But the miners took on everything the government [B] could throw
And went back [F#] again to battle on [G#m] with shouts [B] of Here we [C#] go
_ _ _ _ And [B] _ _
_ [C#] _ _ [B] _ _ _ [C#m] _ _
[F#] the battle wasn't only by courageous men [B] and men
But the women [F#] joined the struggle fight [G#m] and side by [C#m] side with them
In [F#] every area of battle women hurried to [B] the fight
At rallies [F#] and at meetings and [C#m] out on the picket [B] lines
_ [F#] And in [C#] support groups up and down the [G#] land our [C#m] comrades rallied round
The cry [B] went up, they shall not starve [C#] and cash and food were found
To [F#] keep the miners and their families in [B] solidarity
_ And show the [F#] world the working [C#m] class would never [B] bow the [F#] knee
_ [B] _ _ _ [C#] _ [B] _
[C#m] Let's _ [F#] pause here to remember the men who [B] gave their lives
Joe Green and [F#] Davy Jones were killed [G#m] in fighting [C#] for their rights
[F#] But their courage and their sacrifice we never will [B] forget
And we won't [F#] forget the reason too, [C#] they met [F#] an [B] early [F#m] death
[C#] For the strike breakers in [G#m] uniform were many [C#] thousands strong
And any picket [B] who was in their way [C#] was battered to the ground
[F#] With police vans driving into them and truncheons [B] on their heads
It's just a [F#] bloody miracle [C#] that hundreds [B] more are [F#] dead
_ [G#m] _
[F#] _ [B] [C#] So _ _ [F#] _ here's to Arthur Scargill, Hefield and [B] McGachie too
Who led the fight [F#] together [G#m] in defence of me [C#] and you
[F#] And Malcolm Pitt and Davy Hamilton and the rest of them [B] as well
Who were torn from home [F#] and family [C#] and locked in prison _
[B] cells
[F#] But [C#] the battle will go on until [G#m] the working class [C#] is won
For the right [F#] to work [B] and decent lives [C#] belongs to everyone
So [F#] it's forward now in unity, let's share the [B] miners' load
There can only [F#] be one answer, [G#m] _ socialism [C#] _ [B] is gold
_ _ _ [F#] _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _