Anthracite Fields: II. Breaker Boys

Mickey Pick-Slate
 ♪
 Early and late
 ♪
 Mickey Pick-Slate
 ♪
 Early and late
 ♪
 Mickey
 ♪
 Mickey (Micky Pick-Slate)
 ♪
 Early and late
 ♪
 (Mickey) Mickey Pick-Slate
 Early and late
 That was the poor little breaker boys fate
 Mickey (That-was-the-poor-little-breaker-boys-fate)
 Mickey
 Mickey Pick-Slate, early and late
 (That was the poor little breaker boys fate)
 (Mickey) Mickey Pick-Slate, early and late
 That was the poor little breaker boys fate
 (Mickety pickety rickety tickety lickety splickety)
 (Mickety pickety rickety tickety lickety splickety)
 That was the poor little breaker boys fate
 (Kickety, kickety, kick, kick, kick, kick)
 (Kickety, kickety, kick, kick, kick, kick)
 That was the poor little breaker boys fate
 Eight years, nine years, ten years, twelve years
 ♪
 Six years, seven years, thirteen, fifteen, fourteen
 Eleven, seventeen, eighteen, sixteen
 Mickey, Mickey, Mickey, Mickey
 (Mickey) Mickey Pick-Slate, early and late
 That was the poor little breaker boys fate
 (Mickey) That was the poor little breaker boys fate
 Mickey (pickety rickety tickety lickety splickety)
 (Mickey) pickety rickety tickety lickety splickety
 (Mickey) pickety rickety tickety lickety splickety
 Mickey
 That was the poor little breaker boys fate
 Mickey (pickety rickety tickety lickety splickety)
 (Mickey) pickety rickety tickety lickety splickety
 (Mickey) pickety rickety tickety lickety splickety
 (Mickey) pickety rickety tickety lickety splickety
 (Mickey) pickety rickety tickety lickety splickety
 Mickey, mickey, mickey, mickey
 Mickey, mickey, mickey, mickey
 Mickey, mickey, mickey, mickey
 ♪
 Mickey, mickey, mickey, mickey
 ♪
 Oh what a place
 ♪
 You sat on a hard seat
 ♪
 You didn't dare cushion it
 No matter
 ♪
 You had to sit on that plain plank
 ♪
 Plain plank
 No matter
 ♪
 With your feet in the shoot, on a plain plank
 Bent over like this
 
 Bent over like this
 
 Well I'll tell you it was very scary
 Believe me
 Believe me
 
 "I don't know how in the world I got the nerve
 To go there in the first place
 ♪
 You didn't dare say anything
 You didn't dare quit
 
 Because it was something to have a job at
 Eight cents an hour
 ♪
 You didn't wear gloves
 You didn't dare
 You weren't allowed to wear gloves
 ♪
 "Your fingernails
 ♪
 You had none
 ♪
 The ends of them
 Would be bleeding every day from work
 ♪
 Bleeding every day
 ♪
 Mickey Pick-Slate
 ♪
 Early and late
 That was the poor little breaker boys fate
 (A poor simple woman at the breaker still waits)
 To bring home her poor little Mickey Pick-Slate
 Inor minor mona mai
 Pascor lahra bonor bai
 Eggs butter cheese bread
 Stick stock stone dead
 'em up and stick 'em down
 Stick 'em in the old man's crown
 Snail, snail come outa your hole
 Or else I'll beat you black as coal
 Black as coal, black as coal
 Stone dead, stone dead
 Black as coal, black as coal
 Black as coal, black as coal
 Once a man and twice a boy
 Oh you are my pride and joy
 Twice a boy and once a man
 Catch me catch me if you can
 Catch me, catch me, catch me, catch me
 Mickety pickety rickety tickety lickety splickety
 (Catch me, catch me, catch me, catch me)
 Black as coal, black as coal
 ♪
 Mickety pickety rickety tickety lickety splickety
 Ten little angels dressed in white
 Tryin' to get to heaven on the tail of a kite
 But the kite string broke and down they fell
 Instead of going to heaven the went to
 Heaven, heaven, heaven, heaven
 Heaven, heaven, heaven, heaven
 Heaven, heaven, heaven, heaven
 Nine little angels, eight little angels
 Heaven, heaven, heaven, heaven
 Heaven, heaven, heaven, heaven
 Heaven, heaven, heaven, heaven
 Heaven, heaven, heaven, heaven
 Seven little angels, six little angels
 Heaven, heaven, heaven, heaven
 Heaven, heaven, heaven, heaven
 Heaven, heaven, heaven, heaven
 Heaven, heaven, heaven, heaven
 I am king of the castle. I am king
 I am king of the castle
 King of the castle. I am king
 I am king of the castle you are a dirty rascal
 *Everything in quotes excerpted and adapted from an interview with
 Anthony (Shorty) Slick (breaker boy) from the film "America and Lewis
 Hine" directed by Nina Rosenblum
 Daedalus Productions, Inc
 Other text based on children's street rhymes