Also the name of Erskine Childer's yacht.

We have had the absolute joy of seeing Peggy sing, along with her son,in Ireland a couple of times over the past few years.

I always thought this was a Roberta Flack song. Shame on me!

I went to Springhill to see this mine in the late 70s due to this song. My friend Anne and I took our motorcycles to see Nova Soctia and Newfoundland. Fantastic trip

First heard this when I was about three years old some 64 years back. Record from Walthamstow Library. Thanks for the memory!

This is one of his most underrated songs. It's a topic that's not been well-covered in song.

Kate Wolf cover also excellent

My Grandmother was from Shields her Father worked the Keelrow. The dialect words used here are very familiar to me ,particularly the term Lal, My dad always called us kids Bairns or Lala's

That was awful! Thank God Roberta Flack saved that song.

Living in Germany, singing this song to my 3 week old. 🥰

This is a Beautiful song with a sad message Just wish the pits hadn't closed down because of the government's actions and the ncb. This industry has gone on for decades and nowadays we suffer from the impact of societys actions. They may of killed the pits. But they'll never kill our spirits.

Once we had an empire now we have a slum.

had the great pleasure of seeing them at Universitat Freiburg 1974

Ronnie and Maggie, must be the 80's.

Good Lord! Who's strangling a cat?

Starmer 2024🌹

Roberte Falck much better this one's awful 😢

Bloody terrible- sorry only my opinion

Me clogs are boath broken un’ stockin’s aw’ve none,🔥🔥🔥🗣🗣🗣

I went looking for this.

Am l the only living Droylsdonian who knows this ditty?

Johnny joyce good fur notin basterd cum here ill fight any man in galway ya basterd callin my sick mother a scoul ya good for nothin scoundrel you com meet me in doughiskhaand we show u what it means to figt a ward

Well, I've learned a new verse today. This is the most beautiful song. Thank you Ewan for touching my imagination with this song since childhood.

I won't be listening to this verson again.Don't like it.

A classic case of the original being nowhere near as good as the cover version....Roberta Flack's version is definitely not 'sentimental' ,on the contrary it is extremely moving,heartbreakingly so and a model of restraint.For that reason it is is widely considered to be one of the greatest vocal performances of all time.

If it seems too fast for anyone, 0.9 speed seems just as good, if not better.

Great song, like going back in time...

Wonderful, that summons it up, explains what it was like...

This is another take on “Sheffield Alprentice”

She sounds bad 🥵

My sister overlooks Pitney Bridge. Beautiful melody

Kirsty’s dad. Great traditional English song. A person gives his/her impossible tasks to prove their love. Make an America shirt with no seams etc.

this ditty songlehandedly revived the parsley, sage, and thyme industries (rosemary was doing fine)

Listen to Luke Kelly sing this

I can barely listen to this song. I think it's the most beautiful piece of music and singing I've ever heard.

Beautiful,from a fiercely proud Geordie,and committed socialist.

Will we ever hear anything of its kind again? I dont think so

Here at the suggestion and courtesy of The Teesside Chef. He’s correct; this is a much better version than S & G’s effort. Now, go and cook up some of the chef’s delights.

When I saw the movie, and when the Roberta Flack version was constantly played on AM radio. and as a 14 yr old kid, thought it sucked. Now as an adult, I cannot stop the tears when I hear this wonderful, mesmerizing song. A gem, straight from heaven by a gifted singer.

Great song by Ewan... Glad to have heard it in original release.... Roberta Flack owns this song

Just beautiful!

It seems to be sticking to the Folk routes, but was written 12 years before R F tackled and then she blew all pretenders away.

The best version is still Peter, Paul & Mary's

We went to Springhill because of this song. They took us down another, safer mine, due to our interest. I never knew what dark or cold was before!

I bought a signed LP from Ewan MacColl and Peggy Seeger at their gig at a pub in Aberystwyth in 72. According to the sleeve notes, Sweet Thames Flow Softly was written for a BBC schools version of Romeo and Juliet. Sadly I haven't been able to find any trace of ths programme.

Bloody he'll the memories,I worked in the same office as Jock in the 80s he told me about the Bevan boys and coalmining,even got a signed copy of his album with the message 'keep your timmer in Paul' what a great bloke.

Thank goodness this song evolved into the masterpiece that Roberta and Josh rendered.

Beautiful, and uplifting, and sad...all at the same time.

The cover by Alison Moyet, from the late 80's, although clearly modern in style, is the closest I can find to the original, in terms of simplicity & getting a beautiful emotion across to someone you truly love. Other covers are great too, but I've never been a fan of adding 'bells & whistles' where they're not required!

AWESOME video upload