It’s been such a long road through the rain and snow From the days before the railways rolled When the coalfield seemed to expand by the hour And a few wealthy men held all of the power Murray, Spence, and Bewick challenged the powers that be Couldn’t turn their backs on the pain and poverty Stood up to the cruel rulers, strong and brave While Turner and the others stood up for the slaves Newcastle was growing into a great city Full of tough people with warm hearts full of pity For those who were never given a decent chance A town of solidarity, fairness, tolerance They remembered those massacred at Peterloo And the suffering of the slaves far away too Built a society where people could live With dignity, with unions and cooperatives Slowly the men won the right to vote When they weren’t digging coal or building great boats While with help from Kathleen and Northumbrian Emily The women finally joined them and they too were set free Hard years came relentlessly after the Great War As mines and shipyards slowly closed their doors But people remembered who it was they really were And had no time for Mosely and his Black shirts Newcastle honoured the leader of Civil Rights In the city of railways, turbines, and electric lights It’s been a long walk, but it isn’t over yet It’s for us to remember and never to forget. Peter Sagar
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