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Land of the Pharaohs

from Jewell Ridge Coal by Jeni & Billy

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  • Compact Disc (CD) + Digital Album

    Jewell Ridge Coal is steeped in the traditions of the mine and the families whose lives depended on them. The production is simple and uncluttered; the lead instrument is clearly the voice of Jeni, for whom these songs are like members of the family.
    – Wayne Winkler, Now & Then: The Journal of Appalachian Culture

    Jewell Ridge Coal is the best CD by folk, edge of bluegrass artists I've heard in a long time. Jeni's singing sounds to me like a cross between the young Hazel Dickens and Iris Dement. The songs range from raw and powerful to sweet and funny. The instrumental work is excellent and the harmony is just what you'd want it to be." – Si Kahn, Songwriter and Activist

    A six panel eco-friendly wallet, designed by Jeni and her father, Greg Hankins, featuring photos from Jewell Ridge and the Smith Family archives. A 16-page booklet includes all lyrics and credits — plus more photos of Jewell Ridge. The envelope also includes a souvenir postcard.

    Includes unlimited streaming of Jewell Ridge Coal via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
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  • Streaming + Download

    Includes unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
    Purchasable with gift card

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  • Full Digital Discography

    Get all 26 Jeni Hankins releases available on Bandcamp and save 20%.

    Includes unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality downloads of String Unraveller Demo May 2021, The American Dream (Harlis and Freda), Voice Memo Demo, I'm Letting Go of You – Kitchen Single, The Wondarium: Songs For Kids, A Body is a Delicate House, I Fell Into the Fire, The Loneliest Snowman, I Fell Into The Fire – Limited Edition Handprinted, and 18 more. , and , .

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lyrics

Land of the Pharaohs

to Hazel Dickens, for paving the way

In the land of the Pharaohs
the coal boss is king
and he wagers the sun’s but a trifling thing.
In his dreams he reckons he’ll mine it someday
and harness the power of the whole Milky Way.

Go down Moses, down to Pharaoh’s land, and
preach your gospel, the Judgement’s at hand.
Though the good times are past,
though the boss does his worst,
when we all get to Heaven the last shall be first.

In the land of the Pharaohs
a miner ain’t but a slave
who risks life and limb for a poor beggar’s wage.
And if he complains or brings the Union around,
the thugs and the Pinkertons
beat him back down.

Go down John L., down to Pharaoh’s land
and shout your gospel, the Judgement’s at hand.
Though the good times are past,
though the boss does his worst,
when we all get to Heaven the last shall be first.

Well, the land of the Pharaohs
is a rich man’s dream
filled with Carnegie steel and Ford’s factories
and the B & Q mine where a man is so small
that the world don’t notice
when black lung comes to call.

Go down Woody, down to Pharaoh’s land
and sing your gospel, the Judgement’s at hand.
Though the good times are past,
though the boss does his worst,
when we all get to Heaven the last shall be first.

© 2005 Jeni Hankins, BMI

credits

from Jewell Ridge Coal, released January 1, 2008

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all rights reserved

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about

Jeni Hankins London, UK

Jeni Hankins grew up in the coalfields of Appalachian in Southwest Virginia among a family of miners, moonshiners, and journalists. Her writing pulls the grit, gumption, and keen sense of observation out of that heritage like drawing water from her grandmother’s well.

In every song, Jeni’s “true sense of place shines through – old as the hills, but brand new at the same time.”
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