Well the marshall came to town
And his hat was pulled way down
He looked like he had business on his mind
He didn’t stop to say
He just rode along his way
‘Til he stopped in at the office of the mine

Dirty business, dirty business
Dirty business down in coal creek
Dirty business down in coal creek
This morning

Well, I make two bucks a day
And that ain’t a healthy pay
My kids are just beginning to get sick
There’s talk been goin’ round
How they’re gonna shut it down
If the man don’t come and fix things
Pretty quick

Dirty business, dirty business
Dirty business down in coal creek
Dirty business down in coal creek
This morning

Pretty soon there was a crowd
It was getting’ pretty loud
And the men all said there’d be no work today
But the owner wouldn’t budge
He just sat there like a judge
And he wouldn’t give a nickel more in pay

Dirty business, dirty business
Dirty business down in coal creek
Dirty business down in coal creek
This morning

Just then they heard the sound
That rumbled from the ground
And everyone was rushing for the door
The dust came pouring out
And it finally left no doubt
That the mine was not at issue anymore

Dirty business, dirty business
Dirty business down in coal creek
Dirty business down in coal creek
This morning