[Verse 1]Mine is a tale of many a manFrom Pikeville on west of WacoI make my living with my back and my handsSearching the caverns for coalWhat's left of a man too soon past his primeMost days I feel like a slaveDoing my time on the company dimeDown in a rock solid grave[Chorus]It's a dreary and dark, deep down in the mineBut it's a life to which I am boundWhere dreams of a young man just wither with timeSince I never got out of this townI spend my days below the ground[Verse 2]When I was a boy about fifteen years oldThe mine wasn't part of my planI had big dreams on down the roadTo be a doctor ora business manBut then daddy, he died with a chest full of coalAnd a new sense of duty arrivedThen I took his place down in that black holeAnd made sure the family survived[Chorus]It's a dreary and dark, deep down in the mineBut it's a life to which I am boundWhere dreams of a young man just wither with timeSince I never got out of this townI spend my days below the ground[Verse 3]As I walk out the door, I look down the hallToward the room of my only sonAnd of the family pictures that hang on the wallI pray someday he'll be the oneWho can break down the chain of three generationsAnd leave all the misery behindFind a new town and a good occupationAnd leave me with some peace of mind[Chorus]It's a dreary and dark, deep down in the mineBut it's a life to which I am boundWhere dreams of a young man just wither with timeSince I never got out of this townI spend my days below the ground
