There once was a man name Conor Shaw he like to do the anthracite shuffle
he'd get all the ladies crowding around always ends up in a scuffle
Old Conor marched right into town no mine boss could ever
pin him down he loved to do the anthracite shuffle
The men would gather where the fiddle played they knew Conor would come around
he'd come in with a pair of shiny shoes and lay his money down
he'd say we live like corpses during the day so tonight we're
gonna dance our blues away doing the anthracite shuffle
Now my baby greets me with a smile
when I make my way back home
I say lay right down little darling
you're gonna reap what I have sown
Now a man with a smile in a mining town is greeted with suspicion
Preacher rains abuse on our heads but we ain't even listening
Old Conor Shaw rises from his pew says "˜Father I bet
I could teach you too' how to do the anthracite shuffle
When the breaker boys started shuffling the superintendent couldn't take no more
the mine police met in secret and they drew lots on the floor
Oh Conor lay sleeping in his bed and a peeler shot him
in the head all for doing the anthracite shuffle
If you listen hard at night
you can still hear the fiddle play
and Conor's blood remains
on the floor board to this day