I never knew my grandpas
‘Cause they worked way down in a mine
I never knew my grandpas
‘Cause they worked way down in a mine
They got that black lung fever
And they died before my time

My grandpas they were black men
When they came up out of that hole
My grandpas they were black men
When they came up out of that hole
You know a poor man ain’t got no color
He’ll break his back to save his soul

My mama had no shoes
Until the day she went to school
My mama had no shoes
Until the day she went to school
And her clothes were hand-me-downs
That’s how miners’ families do

I never knew my grandpas
‘Cause they worked way down in a mine
I never knew my grandpas
‘Cause they worked way down in a mine
They got that black lung fever
And they died before my time