Una Miniera

The houses, the stones, and the coal painted the world black
The sun would rise, but I never saw it, down there it was dark
No one spoke, just the sound of a shovel digging, digging
Hands and forehead soaked with the sweat of those who die
In the eyes, in the heart, there's a void bigger than the sea
The face of someone who hopes comes back to mind
Tonight, like so many, in a return.

You, when I came back, were happy
To see my hands
Black from smoke, white from love.

But a darker dawn while the town wakes up
A deafening roar stops the breath of those outside
Fear, terror on the dear face of someone who hopes
Tonight, like so many, in a return.

I didn’t come back, and you cried
And my smile couldn’t
Take the tears from your beautiful face.
You, when I came back, were happy
To see my hands
Black from smoke, white from love.