Discover the story of the song > The Blackleg Miner – Steeleye Span

The song is about a coal miner who is not part of the union, and is disliked by the other miners because of this. He is referred to as the "blackleg miner". In the song, the other miners are angry at him and even physically harm him. The lyrics suggest that being part of the union is important for miners to avoid being ostracized and hurt by their colleagues.