This song seemingly tackles the methods of deception those who manipulate others use to get victims to follow their demands, as well as diverting attention away from important issues. They'll also use it as a means to convince people to hate or kill others by pretending acts of terrorism were committed by the enemy when the acts themselves were done by the masters of control to promote discrimination and hate. It also reinforces the idea that these manipulative forces operate in various locations, infiltrating everyday life without detection, and propagate any and everywhere.
In general, it highlights the danger of hidden agendas, manipulation, and distraction, serving as a critique of those who exploit chaos and confusion to control and gain power, depicting a cautionary tale against falling into their traps. It encourages us to question the narratives presented to us and remain vigilant against manipulation in various parts of society.
This place has changed for good
Your economic theory said it would
It's hard for us to understand
We can't give up our jobs the way we should
Our blood has stained the coal
We tunneled deep inside the nation's soul
We matter more than pounds and pence
Your economic theory makes no sense
One day in a nuclear age
They may understand our rage
They build machines that they can't control
And bury the waste in a great big hole
Power was to become cheap and clean
Grimy faces were never seen
Deadly for twelve thousand years is carbon fourteen
We work the black seam together
We work the black seam together
The seam lies underground
Three million years of pressure packed it down
We walk through ancient forest lands
And light a thousand cities with our hands
Your dark satanic mills
Have made redundant all our mining skills
You can't exchange a six inch band
For all the poisoned streams in Cumberland
Your economic theory makes no sense
One day in a nuclear age
They may understand our rage
They build machines that they can't control
And bury the waste in a great big hole
Power was to become cheap and clean
Grimy faces were never seen
Deadly for twelve thousand years is carbon fourteen
We work the black seam together
We work the black seam together
Should the children weep
The turning world will sing their souls to sleep
When you have sunk without a trace
The universe will suck me into place
One day in a nuclear age
They may understand our rage
They build machines that they can't control
And bury the waste in a great big hole
Power was to become cheap and clean
Grimy faces were never seen
But deadly for twelve thousand years is carbon fourteen
We work the black seam together
We work the black seam together
Your economic theory said it would
It's hard for us to understand
We can't give up our jobs the way we should
Our blood has stained the coal
We tunneled deep inside the nation's soul
We matter more than pounds and pence
Your economic theory makes no sense
One day in a nuclear age
They may understand our rage
They build machines that they can't control
And bury the waste in a great big hole
Power was to become cheap and clean
Grimy faces were never seen
Deadly for twelve thousand years is carbon fourteen
We work the black seam together
We work the black seam together
The seam lies underground
Three million years of pressure packed it down
We walk through ancient forest lands
And light a thousand cities with our hands
Your dark satanic mills
Have made redundant all our mining skills
You can't exchange a six inch band
For all the poisoned streams in Cumberland
Your economic theory makes no sense
One day in a nuclear age
They may understand our rage
They build machines that they can't control
And bury the waste in a great big hole
Power was to become cheap and clean
Grimy faces were never seen
Deadly for twelve thousand years is carbon fourteen
We work the black seam together
We work the black seam together
Should the children weep
The turning world will sing their souls to sleep
When you have sunk without a trace
The universe will suck me into place
One day in a nuclear age
They may understand our rage
They build machines that they can't control
And bury the waste in a great big hole
Power was to become cheap and clean
Grimy faces were never seen
But deadly for twelve thousand years is carbon fourteen
We work the black seam together
We work the black seam together
Lyrics submitted by Novartza, edited by bohen, Andrewphubble
We Work the Black Seam Lyrics as written by Gordon Sumner
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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This was written at the time of the coal miners' strike, which culminated in Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher's deliberate decimation of the British coal industry. Sting was an opponent of nuclear energy (and of Mrs Thatcher's Conservative government) and would have largely sympathised with the miners, but recognised that times had changed. The song is about his anger at the way the change came, and his concern at a nuclear-powered future.
Just stumbled upon these posts and curiously, the Carbon-14 thing has always bugged me.
I always imagined that he was on the one hand expressing concern about nuclear waste, but at the same time making fun of people who use bogus facts to prove their case (a big bugbear of mine). As you say, the Carbon-14 allusion is totally meaningless, because it's naturally occurring and perfectly safe. If I remember rightly, it's normally 4 or 5 half lives before things are generally considered safe, so if Carbon-14 were dangerous, it would be say 25,000 years anyway. Rather typical of me to let this fact get to me for the last 20 years, but thenthe song was released while I was studying for Physics A'Level...
no radioactive element is safe. the only reason you think carbon-14 is "safe" is because of its low-levfel percentage in most carbon (1 part per trillion)... if you had a chunk of pure carbon-14 it'd be just as deadly as uranium 238 or cobalt 60. just because it's naturally occurring does NOT make it safe. that stuff should all remain in the ground where it belongs.
@Riobard Sorry, but that's not how chemistry works at all. Humans always have Carbon-14 in us, it's a byproduct of being a carbon-based life form.<br /> <br /> Many of the elements we require for life are quite toxic. Take phosphorous, or chlorine, or sodium. In fact, one could safely say that EVERY element is both save AND hazardous, given the right doses - something that's been known since the days of Paracelsus.
It's a play off on the William Blake poem "Jerusalem" where Blake talks about farm land being replaced by the "dark satanic mills" which are coal factories. Here, they talk about coal being replaced by nuclear power. It's really quite sad.
I don't know if he's saying that nuclear energy is bad or that fossil fuels are bad. It's a great song, like all the others on the album, i just can't figure it out.
Both are bad. He's saying that coal mining is dangerous, nasty, polluting job, but the people in the industry have no where to go. At the same time, nuclear power is not safe and they act like they can control it but can't (they still can't figure out what to do with the radioactive waste). Thus "one day in a nuclear age/they may understand our rage..." <br /> It could be seen as a commentary on "progress" as well. This is the dirty work that makes general bearable living of "Civilization" possible. People deep underground, stained black and getting sick, so that we may turn on the lights at home. And when the coal is gone, what will happen to them?<br /> <br /> All the more reason why we should think before we act, and consider the costs of industry....<br /> <br /> Oh yeah, and there is no safe amount of any radioactive element. Anything radioactive can cause problems in humans.
of interesting note, is carbon 14, which is the radioactive isotope used for carbon dating. it's not generally considered deadly, as all carbon based life contains some of this radioactive isotope. is sting implying that there's something deadly about knowing the age of carbonous material? coal, perhaps? curious that he wouldn't decry the radioactive material used in nuclear power, uranium 235.
what do you all think about that?
not as rhymable.
@sippy Would someone like to deny, that we, as human beings, are "carbon based" entities??!! Our bodies contain Carbon 14!!! DUH!!! I'll point out, human kind was not designed to live forever! We were not designed to have any power over this or any other planet...long after we no longer exist, this planet will remain for millions of years.... just like it did before we showed up. So much worry about , a New ice age, global warming, global cooling, climate change?? All I know, this B.S. has been touted since the 60's....Another 15 years is all we have to reverse the evil we have done...then it was 10 more years, then it was 12 years....since those years have all passed,...the earth is still standing!!!
O.o I think I should have payed more attention to Chem class. Didn't understand a word you said, mate. lol What I do know is that this song simply sneds tingles as I hear it. It sounds fantastic! And if it weren't on such a politicla issue, it would be my favourite song. nods That's all I had to say :)
Sippy, this has always bothered me too. I think the answer is that Sting either mistakenly picked the wrong radioactive isotope or he realized that not many things rhyme with "uranium". I'm sure he was trying to make the point that nuclear waste is a big problem, and two times the half-life of carbon 14 is nealry 12,000 years. But there's no reason why reducing the amount to 25% would be how long it is deadly and, bigger point, carbon 14 isn't in nuclear waste! Thanks for mentioning this, Sippy -- I sought out this song just to make that point myself!
most people were not very knowledgeable thirty years ago about radioactive elements. carbon-14 was probably a radioactive buzz word (and easy to rhyme). they didn't have the internet back then, so if he referenced some obscure particle that's a product of nuclear reactor waste, it may have just confused more people. songs often take liberties....sting is obviously not a nuclear physicist, either.
I think the Carbon 14 lyric is deliberate. It means to me that as dangerous the "machines that they can't control" are, humanity will always be more dangerous. (Based on the fact that Carbon 14's in us but not in nuclear waste)
Alternatively, it could be a reference to carbon dating, which would underline the plight of the British mining industry. I don't think this is as likely though, it seems a bit far-fetched.
Now that you and Balti mention it, modern man has been around for 11000-13000 years and seems to be on the verge of collapse. Maybe our deadly 12000 years are closing? (Now that that's said, somebody'll start a 2012 post and get 100 replies. Go figure)
it's just a rhyming device. but again, no amount of radioactive elements are safe in humans. it's only safe because it's .000000001% of most carbon....if you had a chunk of any pure radioactive element, it would be just as deadly as any other.
In the mid last century, Political leaders in the world were fascinated by the nuclear power, which can reduce the running cost of the power generation significantly. Coal mines were closed and replaced by nukes, many have lost their jobs and lives particularly in the northern part of the UK.
The song is for those who gave two fingers at Mrs.T's funeral. "your economic theory makes no sense". After almost three decades this song was written, British energy / economic strategy has proven to be wrong by Japan (ie. Fukushima). The nuclear energy is not cheep in a long run.
An Irony is that the economy of Sting himself (who also came from the northern part of England) was thriving in the Thatcher era.
It's amazing that the anti-Thatcher sentiment spawned such a vast music movement, but very little happened here in the USA during the parallel Reagan era, which was just as destructive, if not more so. Who would have ever thought that Johnny's "There's no future in England's dreaming," would echo for decades afterwards.