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The Pennine Way

[Pete Coe]

Pete Coe sang his own song The Pennine Way in 1989 on his LP A Right Song and Dance. This song was included with all but one of this album in 2007 of his CD Previous. He commented in the original album’s sleeve notes:

The Pennine Way draws on the music of the North-West Carnival Bands and The Methodist Hymn Book combined with impressions gleaned from the books of E.P. Thompson, Jill Liddington, and Jill Norris (whose titles are mentioned in the song). Also lurking around were descriptions of this area in Millstone Grit Revisited by Glyn Hughes and the photos taken by Peter Hollings.

Jon Boden sang this song as Pilgrim on the Pennine Way as the 6 January 2011 entry of his project A Folk Song a Day.

Lyrics

Jon Boden sings Pilgrim on the Pennine Way

Want of employment causes me to roam
Far from the valley where I have made my home,
Like many a one before me returning when I may,
Just another pilgrim on the Pennine Way.

These mills have seen the making of the English working class,
These hills look to the future, they won’t forget the past.
And here’s to new technology but what a price to pay,
Just another pilgrim on the Pennine Way,
Just another pilgrim on the Pennine Way.

Down in the valley there’s a champion brass band;
They march the whole world over with John Foster in command.
And come the day of judgement the Black Dyke Band will play,
Just another pilgrim on the Pennine Way.

Farmer on the hillside he cannot get to sleep,
He’s counting radiation instead of counting sheep;
He’s making bed and breakfast instead of making hay,
Just another pilgrim on the Pennine Way,
Just another pilgrim on the Pennine Way.

Tom Paine spoke of liberty, Cobbett of reform;
John Wesley was the shepherd who made his flock conform,
And heaven was a factory that worked a twelve hour day,
Just another pilgrim on the Pennine Way.

The cotton lords of Lancashire saw the mill girls all unite,
With one hand tied behind them they fought for equal rights;
Now cotton girls of Lancashire still hope for better days,
Just another pilgrim on the Pennine Way,
Just another pilgrim on the Pennine Way.

Weavers and colliers who lived beyond their time,
At Peterloo and Orgreave they faced the long blue line;
Still hoping for salvation but they’d rather work than pray,
Just another pilgrim on the Pennine Way.

Lucifer’s in Wakefield waiting for the fall,
Just like Ludd and Scargill they’ll knock him off the wall;
Scapegoats for the media, headlines for the day,
Just another pilgrim on the Pennine Way,
Just another pilgrim on the Pennine Way.

Acknowledgements

Transcribed by Reinhard Zierke with help from Mike Musgrove. Thank you!