Reading Time: < 1 minute
"My father, a coal miner, grew up and went down the mines in D H Lawrence's locale. He was also a reader of his work. It was dad who gave us the line that he carried us all on his shovel. And I have sympathy for Arthur Lawrence, who did the same for his family."


You say my nails are dirty,
and I say they are the nails
of a working man, and these
nails are on the fingers
of a working man, and these
fingers are on the hands
of a working man, and these
hands are on the arms
of a working man, and these
arms are on the shoulders
of a working man; and I carry
you all on my shovel as I dig
for the coal that grimes my skin.
So, milady do not disdain me,
for though I am but a working man
I am not ashamed of what I am.


© D G Moody 2023