Anthracite Fields: Breaker Boys Songtext
von Julia Wolfe

Mickey Pick-Slate
Early and late
Mickey, Mickey
That was the poor little breaker boys fate.
Mickety pickety rickety tickety lickety splickety
Kickety, kickety, kick, kick, kick, kick
Mickey, Mickey, Mickey, Mickey

Eight years, nine years, ten years, twelve years,
Six years, seven years, thirteen, fifteen, fourteen,
Eleven, seventeen, eighteen, sixteen,
Mickey, Mickey, Mickey, Mickey
Mickety pickety rickety tickety lickety splickety

"Oh what a place, you sat on a hard seat.
You didn't dare cushion it, no matter.
You had to sit on that plain plank, no matter,
With your feet in the shoot, on a plain plank
Bent over like this.
Well I'll tell you it was very scary.
Believe me, believe me.


"I don't know how in the world I got the nerve to
Go there in the first place.
You didn't dare say anything.
You didn't dare quit,
Because it was something to have a job at 8 cents
An hour.
You didn't wear gloves.
You didn't dare.
You weren't allowed to wear gloves.

"Your fingernails, you had none.
The ends of them would be bleeding every day
From work,
Bleeding every day."*

Mickey Pick-Slate
Early and late
That was the poor little breaker boys fate.
A poor simple woman at the breaker still waits
To bring home her poor little Mickey Pick-Slate.

Inor minor mona mai
Pascor lahra bonor bai
Eggs butter cheese bread
Stick stock stone dead

Stick 'em up and stick 'em down.
Stick 'em in the old man's crown.
Snail, snail come outa your hole
Or else I'll beat you black as coal,
Black as coal, black as coal
Stone dead, stone dead


Once a man and twice a boy,
Oh you are my pride and joy.
Twice a boy and once a man,
Catch me catch me if you can.
Catch me, catch me
Mickety pickety rickety tickety lickety splickety

Slate picker, mule kicker, air thicker,
Make you sicker,
Sicker, sicker, sicker, sicker, sicker, sicker, sicker, sicker
Mickety pickety rickety tickety lickety splickety

Ten little angels dressed in white
Tryin' to get to heaven on the tail of a kite,
But the kite string broke and down they fell.
Instead of going to heaven the went to...
Heaven, heaven, heaven, heaven
Nine little angels, eight little angels
Heaven, heaven, heaven, heaven
Seven little angels, six little angels

I am king of the castle. I am king.
I am king of the castle,
King of the castle. I am king.
I am king of the castle you are a dirty rascal.

*Everything in quotes excerpted and adapted from an interview with
Anthony (Shorty) Slick (breaker boy) from the film "America and Lewis
Hine" directed by Nina Rosenblum,
Daedalus Productions, Inc.
Other text based on children's street rhymes.