A Collier's Wife

Somebody�s knocking at the door
Mother, come down and see.
�I�s think it�s nobbut a beggar,
Say, I�m busy.

Its not a beggar, mother,�hark
How hard he knocks ...
�Eh, tha�rt a mard-�arsed kid,
�E�ll gi�e thee socks!

Shout an� ax what �e wants,
I canna come down.
��E says �Is it Arthur Holliday�s?�
Say �Yes,� tha clown.

�E says, �Tell your mother as �er mester�s
Got hurt i� th� pit.�
What�oh my sirs, �e never says that,
That�s niver it.

Come out o� the way an� let me see,
Eh, there�s no peace!
An� stop thy scraightin�, childt,
Do shut thy face.

�Your mester�s �ad an accident,
An� they�re ta�ein �im i� th� ambulance
To Nottingham,��Eh dear o� me
If �e�s not a man for mischance!

Wheers he hurt this time, lad?
�I dunna know,
They on�y towd me it wor bad�
It would be so!

Eh, what a man!�an� that cobbly road,
They�ll jolt him a�most to death,
I�m sure he�s in for some trouble
Nigh every time he takes breath.

Out o� my way, childt�dear o� me, wheer
Have I put his clean stockings and shirt;
Goodness knows if they�ll be able
To take off his pit dirt.

An� what a moan he�ll make�there niver
Was such a man for a fuss
If anything ailed him�at any rate
I shan�t have him to nuss.

I do hope it�s not very bad!
Eh, what a shame it seems
As some should ha�e hardly a smite o� trouble
An� others has reams.

It�s a shame as �e should be knocked about
Like this, I�m sure it is!
He�s had twenty accidents, if he�s had one;
Owt bad, an� it�s his.

There�s one thing, we�ll have peace for a bit,
Thank Heaven for a peaceful house;
An� there�s compensation, sin� it�s accident,
An� club money�I nedn�t grouse.

An� a fork an� a spoon he�ll want, an� what else;
I s�ll never catch that train�
What a trapse it is if a man gets hurt�
I s�d think he�ll get right again.

Literature Network » D.H. Lawrence » A Collier's Wife