I've seen a brave bit in my day
And seen a brave bit too,
Some ov tha things I've seed and heer'd
I'd like ta tell ta you.

A claywork man I've allus bin,
And vull'd boath casks and bags,
I've den moast all tha claywork jobs,
And knaw moast ov their snags.

My fust job wus a kiddle boy,
I used ta maake tha tay,
And waarm tha pasties for tha men
For wan shellin a day.

I sometimes think bout they old men,
Tha memory never Faade,
Who ait tha pasties that I waarmed
And drenk'd tha tay I maade.

Now some ad whiskers dree foot long,
Some red, some black, some white,
And when they ad ta work by night
They wor a gastly sight.

Theres wan old man I want forget
So long as I av breath
And that old man wus Bill Trenouth
Wat lived up ta Colvreath.

Old Bill ded work up Little Jans
For more thun fifty heer,
And then ee thought twas time ta av
A change ov work my dear

So then ee took it in his haid
That ee wus search for tin,
And so out ta Belowda downs,
A diggin ded begin.

A lot ov pits old Bill ded dig
But never found no tin,
So ee wudden no better of
Thun when ee ded begin.

Now wan pit more I'll dig said ee,
Then if no tin be found,
I'll git a job up Bunny mine
And work down underground.

Old Bill's last pit wus haard and tuff,
Tha ground wus vull ov stoans,
And poar old Bill ded work so haard
Ee aached in all hes boans.

Now I av ad bout nuff said ee,
I'll finish for tha day,
My innards they be tellin me
Tis time I ad my tay.

Avore ee clim'd out ov his pit
Ee ad wan last look round,
When there avore hes eyes ee seed
A stoane some bright and brown.

Now thata a diament Billy said,
Tha fust I've ever seed,
Then in hes eyes there com'd a look,
A look ov awful greed.

Billy then staarted ta dig again,
Ta find more shiney stoans,
So dedden think about this tay
Nor ov his aachin boans.

Soon Billy ee wus diggin out
Tha diaments by tha score,
Then said I think I'll taake some home
And come again for more.

Ee vull'd his pockets with tha stoans,
And said next time I come
I'll bring a barrow iss I will
Ta wheel tha diaments ome.

But aw my dear wot appen'd than
Wus whist wethout a doubt,
For Bill ded dig hes pit so deep
That ee cudden git out.

Ee dedden thenk bout diaments then,
Ee dedden thenk bout tin,
Cos ee wus catch'd law mussey me
Like a Tom cat in a gin.

And aw tha awful sounds ee maade
Wus turrable ta hear,
Ee shouted help and murder too,
And everthing wots queer.

Now as it appended that saame night,
Poar old Ann Polsaid
Went out ta pick a vew dry sticks
Avore she went ta baid.

Twas then she heer'd tha awful sounds
Bill in his pit ded maake,
It frighten'd poar old Ann so much
That she ded feerly shaake.

I've never heer'd sich awful sounds,
Said she I never av,
It must be en old Jersey cow
A belvin for her cav.

Tha poar old saw I then maade her way
Toward Belowda downs,
Ta try and find out it she could
Tha mainin ov tha sounds.

It dedden taake her very long
Avore she found Bill's pit,
When she looked down and seed un there
She nearly ad a fit.

"Law mussey me," she said ta Bill,
"You'm gone wrong in yer haid,
You've bin and digg'd yer graave you fool
Avore that you be daid."

"A living man diggin his graave
Is whistness droo and droo,
You should av waited till you'm daid
Like other people do."

"Then you could see awld Tommy Keat,
Ask ee ta do tha job,
Ee'ud dig yer graave and bury ee
And only chaarge five bob."

"If I beant daid I want be long,"
Said Bill, "I'm purdin waik,
Iss waik as a day awld goose chick,
I'm gone too var ta spaik."

"Giss on" said Ann, "and hold thee paise,
Iss do-ee stop yer craake,
Tha sounds you maade avore I com'd
Maade all Belowda shaake."

"Plaise help me ta git out" said Bill,
"Avore I'm viddy daid,
I'll then go ome and av me tay
And go right off ta baid."

"Now ow ta git ee out" said Ann,
"I'm sure I do nat knaw.
The best theng I knaw you can do
Is stay there till you graw."

"If that’s tha caase" said poar old Bill,
"I'll soon be daid and cold
Cos I an graw'd not half a inch
Sence I wus ten heers old."

"My doankey spoas wud pull ee out"
Said ann, "But see my son,
Ee doant like pullin man or baist
Unless they'm haff a ton."

Ann then went off but soon wus come
Weth doankey, ropes and chains,
But Bill and Ann ad all tha yap,
Tha doankey ad tha brains.

But when Ann's doankey pull'd Bill out
Things went from bad ta wuss,
Tha doankey wudden stop, and so
Pull'd Billy droo tha vuss.

Aw wot a mess poar Bill wus in,
His bald white haid went red,
You cudden see his faace en eyes
For vuss preckels and bled.

"Ee's givin ee a ride" said Ann,
"Ee knaw ow ta behaave,
Tis tha fust time ee've den sich theng,
Ee've snatch'd ee from tha graave."

And so tha doankey wudden stop,
Nor dedden stop until
Boath sweatin, and gaspin for breath,
Ee lied down beside Bill.

Then from his pocket Bill shaw'd Ann
Tha diaments ee ad found,
Tha poar old awl then laugh'd so much
She roll'd upon tha gound.

"Wey tedden diaments 'tall" said she,
"But little bits ov spaar,
Ta find a bigger vool thun you,
I'll av ta travel faar."