The Chemical Worker's Song (Irish Folk Cover)

[@orsolyaurban9082]

This song always reminds me of my chemical safety teacher's saying, that we (chemists) need to study because we will be responsible for the workers' safety in a factory, and our decisions will affect peoples lives. This song makes me really feel that.

[@yousuck785why]

Good teacher. I hope you do well.

[@JootjeJ]

Well done that teacher! One of oyr engineering lecturers taught us a similar lesson and I've never forgotten that.

[@TheToneBender]

Lol. Mine just said to use distilled water to make coffee so it's stronger

[@thegardenofeatin5965]

"That we (chemists) need to study because our testimony in court must be admissible 20 years after management ignores our advice." FTFY.

[@MegaKat]

I remember two things, the first of which is a snippet of a poem: and then he did like oughta and added the acid to the water. The second I remember in full: little Timmy was alive, but Timmy is no more, cause what Timmy thought was H20 was H2SO4. And well, that's it, other than my chem teacher pouring some powdered hydrochloric acid into his hand, forgetting his hands were sweaty, then "OH SHIT MY HAND'S ON FIRE" and then the captain of the football team shoved him away from the water and doused his hand in vinegar. After that, our teacher was known as "burnin Vernon."

[@l.k.3966]

Lyrics incoming: And it's go boys, go They'll time your every breath And every day you're in this place You're two days nearer death But you go Well, a Process Man am I and I'm tellin' you no lie I work and breathe among the fumes that trail across the sky There's thunder all around me and there's poison in the air There's a lousy smell that smacks of hell and dust all in me hair And it's go boys, go They'll time your every breath And every day you're in this place You're two days nearer death But you go Well, I've worked among the spinners, and I breathe the oily smoke I've shovelled up the gypsum and it nigh on makes you choke I've stood knee deep in cyanide, got sick with a caustic burn Been workin' rough, I've seen enough to make your stomach turn And it's go boys, go They'll time your every breath And every day you're in this place You're two days nearer death But you go There's overtime and bonus opportunities galore The young men like their money and they all come back for more But soon you're knockin' on and you look older than you should For every bob made on the job, you pay with flesh and blood And it's go boys, go They'll time your every breath And every day you're in this place You're two days nearer death But you go Well, a Process Man am I and I'm tellin' you no lie I work and breathe among the fumes that trail across the sky There's thunder all around me and there's poison in the air There's a lousy smell that smacks of hell and dust all in me hair And it's go boys, go They'll time your every breath And every day you're in this place You're two days nearer death And it's go boys, go They'll time your every breath And every day you're in this place You're two days nearer death But you go

[@throgoy]

Thank you

[@AkiraDragonborne]

Thank you so much. :)

[@dechskaison2497]

Appreciated

[@elenagsm50]

Many thanks

[@lumberjackofalltrades]

g.o.a.t.

[@Xaevryn]

As a chemical worker and hazmat specialist (NFPA level 3), thanks for covering this song. It gets hot in those suits, you sweat a lot and need to try and forget that the only thing saving you from either death or a short life of debilitating diseases is the seal on your breathing equipment and haz suit.

[@sirissac5103]

I can relate, heavy industry worker, I work around asbestos routinely and thankfully there are precautions taken to protect those who work with it directly

[@whitechapel8959]

I feel that man. My great great grandfather worked I a chemicle factory that made acid used in mines. Guy worked there for 60 years. 1910-1970.

[@onkelb0b198]

People forget the big risk when working with chemicals. Even nowadays with all the safety of modern protection standards there is allways a posibility of things going astray, from an overlooked safety hazard to failing equipment. As a masters student working in a lab for ~6 hours a day I can say for sure: the only thing keeping you and your fellow students safe is your own competence to prepare each experiment and plan to react to accidents. Anything from working with and disposing of mercury to working with acids whose fumes corode any metall in seconds or toxic gases that musn't leak. Since every reaction you do is something different you need to be able to maintain, safely clean and carefully assemble your equipment each time.

[@Haexxchen]

Thank you for taking on such a dangerous job. Someone has to do it with responsibility and I hope you are well compensated for it.

[@saudade7842]

A family friend worked as a hazmat specialist trucker, shipping that stuff on the roads, and every day he drove with that stuff in the trailer he was in fear, so much so that he had to quick, avoids driving, and just cannot handle certain smells like cleaning agents

[@lyn4525]

Three generations of my family have worked in oil refineries. When I was young and he was still alive, my great grandfather would tell us stories about the conditions he worked in. It’s amazing that he lived long enough to meet my great grandmother at all, let alone survive into his 90s given the terrible working conditions he endured. My grandfather’s stories are pretty crazy too, and even my father has had some close calls. It’s a difficult business.

[@ryxamcross]

Same. My Dad worked with medical chemicals most of his life and this song always makes me think of him. He used to have to wear these full-body acid suits in the middle of the Texas summer, where we would have triple-digit temperatures for weeks at a time. I'll never forget that summer of my Senior year of High School when he finally collapsed, it was absolutely terrifying. And he endured that madness for us, his family. He shaved years off of his life and abused the hell out of his body at his age to provide for us. It makes me so glad he was promoted and works indoors now.

[@nothuman3083]

My grandfather at 11 went the packing houses they pushed guts and blood into the sewers. Watched boys drown in sewers when they pushed to hard on the blocks. Or got sucked into the sewers when the blocked cleared.

[@nothuman3083]

​@@ryxamcross sun belt ex pest control techie, Jesus weeps for our souls. I have seen seals break on suits and we drag the man out shaking and spasming, strip him and spray him with water. Then back to work Bugs never bit me for 2 years after quiting.

[@kaybee328]

​@@ryxamcrossoh man I got really worried towards the end there

[@zoeorchid]

@@nothuman3083 Oh, my goodness. That sounds terrifying, to be honest. Do bugs bite you now?

[@insertmemenamehere3394]

I showed this to my grandpa and he was a Navy ship welder and I grew up on some of the horror stories that can happen. He always told me that OSHA is written in gallons of blood and years of health stolen from healthy men

[@WhiteChevy4.8]

And doesn't do shit.

[@DrGears-sn4gj]

Yeah man free fall catch harnesses and helmets that can take 3000 flexible striking pounds but yeah man it does nothing. Shut the fuck up and go back to changing tires buddy@@WhiteChevy4.8

[@WhiteChevy4.8]

@@DrGears-sn4gj I make cement pipes that carry away your shit. OSHA works when they see something, I've reported stuff to them before and nothing happens.

[@DrGears-sn4gj]

And that has what to do with knowing OSHA safety lol? How about you record or take pictures of it genius. Or maybe even get people you work with to all report it? Why the hell would anyone go off one persons word? You aren't Jesus H Christ, epitome of moral upholding @@WhiteChevy4.8

[@salty1038]

@@WhiteChevy4.8 doesn’t mean it doesn’t do shit. Just means it needs to be better. OSHA has saved lives but that doesn’t mean it’s enough. You deserve better and we should work to do better, rather than spread unhealthy cynicism

[@chrism7395]

This always reminds me of stories I used to hear about the men and women who worked the arsenic calciners in Cornwall. The calciners are labyrinths of tunnels and chimneys that would have the smoke from tin smelting blown through them, the arsenic and sulphur would accumulate on the walls of the tunnel as it progressed through it. Once cooled, workers would crawl inside and scrape the arsenic off the walls by hand. Their only protection came from cotton wool buds in their noses, rags over their mouths and any bare skin smeared with clay.

[@barbarianvee]

That poison green lighting is sickly perfection for this song

[@shadowstep1375]

“Sickly perfection.” Nurgle approves.

[@superspicy8740]

@@shadowstep1375 *PRAISE PAPA NURGLE!*

[@jturn103]

@@superspicy8740 l see that l have found another war hammer fan

[@nazarderkach9320]

​@@shadowstep1375 _A Chaos cultist agitator trying to capitalize on poor working conditions in an Imperial Manufactorum unintentionally makes a slip, circa 420.M42 (colorized)_

[@TheOtherGreyKnight]

BEGONE FOUL HERETICS, IN THE NAME OF THE GOD-EMPEROR

[@_spt-warwolf_4575]

I always liked these kinds of folk songs. No war setting, no rally cries, no glorification of nature, or romanticism of hard labor. Just a gritty telling of the harsh realities for the time. It recounts a dangerous job in its era with no sense of brotherhood, no sense of adventure, just a solid and almost bitter sense of diligence that's necessary for the work that gradually damages one's health. It's a good reminder, it enlightens how life in the past was difficult and arduous and that we've made a lot of progress to reach where we are now.

[@kevinkukacka1409]

Even with all the progress we have made there are many jobs that are hard and dangerous I have spilled blood and have scars from these jobs but it's go boys go!

[@sasha1mama]

What Kevin said. Even with how far we've come, you'd be a fool to think it ain't still built and run off the backs and blood of the workin' man. Be 'im miner or mucker, processor or rail-driver, an' a hundred things in between. All dyin' by degrees to make sure yer lights stay on an' the men in suits can rake in the caps, and oft to hell with OSHA. "Safety be damned," says the business man, "there's money to be made, and the quicker the better!" Just you remember that. No man in a suit was ever your friend, and a hundred good men bled so you need not forfend.

[@ArneBab]

though don’t forget that some of these jobs where just moved elsewhere. Look for the coltan mines in Kongo where the men get crushed by extraction ore and the women poisoned by extracting our digital societies lifeblood from that ore.

[@dabbinghitlersmemes1762]

My job is still this. Exactly as the song. It's a relic because manufacturing is all moving to China but trust me the song's spirit is alive and dying.

[@ShadowCollie141]

As a working class bloke, I didn't listen to this song thinking about the past. Jobs are still like that. Things might've gotten better since a hundred years ago but believe me people are still going into factories to damage their health for the sake of putting bread on the table. It'll never change. Life sucks, that's been a constant since the first strands of DNA were formed.

[@remiera8999]

I spent a year working as a contract worker in a coal energy plant, and as such they didn’t hold me to the same standards as the rest of the workers. I lost hearing, and I developed breathing issues. Since I have no evidence, I cannot prove it. This song resonates so hard with me.

[@lukasuhlenkamp9850]

Its horrible that contract workers don't have the same protections as normal employees. I hope you can find some way of getting compensation eventually, I don't know what kind of proof would be needed for a claim like that.

[@laraycrenshaw5908]

If you lost your hearing why are you listening to music?

[@remiera8999]

@@laraycrenshaw5908 Oh snap, you’re right! It’s because I lost a portion of my hearing range. Also, deaf people can still technically hear music, and it’s why CC exists. Sound is also about waves. It’s how things can still shake if music is too loud! Good question though

[@Caretaker_Saxon]

This song does have a perfect beat for even the hearing impaired to be able to enjoy it.

[@fearrection4465]

Don't put your safety in other people's hands.

[@jasonm.shepard3641]

Me brother and I relate to this song so much because we have worked in chemical plants. We've been in situations where we couldn't get to our respirators quick enough and ended up breathing in fumes (no lasting effects, thank the Father). And the part about paying with flesh and blood is very true... Once I was working in a hydrofluoric acid plant, and a fellow worker breached a pipe that had not yet been cleared, and was still under pressure. I watched him hobble out of the unit, pieces of him falling off with every step until his right arm and leg fell clean off. He didn't make it. I no longer work in the plants.

[@Mr_T_Badger]

Jesus, I’m glad you made it out intact. 😳

[@jasonm.shepard3641]

@@Mr_T_Badger me too. Money was great...but we tend not to live very long. My brother is out, too. We're in telecommunications, now. Much less endangering.

[@Mr_T_Badger]

@@jasonm.shepard3641 I currently work at, but not in, a tar refinery and have to enforce the facial hair requirements for the respirators for our contractors. I’m hoping to get a federal job with Canada Revenue instead, because it’s still a dingy grim site that’s had at least two minor blowouts that I know of.

[@jasonm.shepard3641]

@@Mr_T_Badger I just left telecommunications, because it proved to be just as horrible as plant work. Longer hours for half the pay, I had my fill of it, especially when they turn you into little salespeople. We can't be just techs anymore. If we cannae sell, then we don't work. I'm now going back into construction. Got hired on as a coordinator for a construction company. Moving on to better things.

[@matthewcox7985]

Hydrofluoric acid. Holy Shit and Satan's Piss. 😨 You've lived that verse, and seen enough to make my stomach turn!

[@SpaceNinja321]

Wow, how have I, as a chemist, never heard of this song before?!? Thanks for bringing it to my attention! 😁 Looking forward to the premiere.

[@CommaKazie]

So you could say you this song caused a ... *puts on shades* reaction? (I'll show myself out)

[@jasonbeasy6007]

I recommend checking out great big sea's version if you like this one

[@chriswhite3253]

Typically chemists don’t work around large amounts of chemicals where they actually manufacture bulk stuff. This relates to the petrochemical field as well. My ex brother in law used to work for a factory that made dish soap; he said the smell stayed with him for a long time after he quit.

[@jsaunders2152]

The original version is by Great Big Sea which is also very good!

[@chimcybergooble9796]

@@chriswhite3253 you are correct most of the time we work with small amounts but a lot of the time with certain chemicals which are dangerous to work with we are called in to take samples and that is irritating to get, so many restrictions and safety regulations.

[@prettysunshine9]

I have been seing some misinformation in the comments so just in case, the original song was written during the English folk revival in the 60s and 70s by Ron Angel, a folk songer from Teeside. The song is about the ICI factory in Billingham. The Canadian band Great Big Sea did the most famous cover of it, but it is a (northern) English folk song. Regardless!!!!! Wonderful cover!! Such a powerful voice and great instrumentation!

[@patriksnellman1550]

As a Seafarer of Chemical tanker, I appreciate this song and this version ⚓👍🏻

[@thomasroot620]

I work in fabrication for a printed circuit board shop, many of the chemical processes there are extremely hazardous, I used to work particularly with cupric chloride, and got the stuff on me a lot. One time a had my entire upper body sprayed and spattered with the stuff from the waist up while trying to clear a clogged line in the machine (thank God for safety glasses). So happy to be working the inspection side of things now.

[@ColmRMcGuinness]

What would you like me to sing this year??? (Handsome answers only!)

[@dechskaison2497]

I've no more fucks to give. Or more seriously, Pippin's song from LOTR.

[@larryyacumada55]

That wasn't a very handsome comment

[@jennifertosh7789]

Would you consider doing an Irish Trad cover of Ballad of Serenity from Firefly? You would KILL that

[@witchdocterMJ]

Chicken on a raft

[@dechskaison2497]

@@larryyacumada55 But it's a good song.

[@LunaticDoctor]

I was introduced to this song by David Coffin's cover. Since then, I've listened to every single cover I could get my grubby fingers on. This one, my good sir, is one to remember for the ages. Great job!

[@Mr_T_Badger]

If you haven’t listened to it already, look up the Great Big Sea cover from their Play album. That was the first version I ever heard.

[@Rhodare]

@@Mr_T_Badger Love those lads

[@LunaticDoctor]

@@Mr_T_Badger Thanks, Tom. It is really a great cover. Didn't know about these guys.

[@Seren_Moth]

theres so many good versions

[@I_Call_You_Moonchild]

It was the Great Big Sea cover that introduced me to both the group and the song. This song will always be special for me, and this cover here is amazing.

[@colorfulhumor4724]

I used to work at a plastic bag manufacturing company, a steel mill after that, a chemical processing plant, and now I'm currently working at a facility that which manufactures vehicle parts. We used to sing this song all day every day at the mill and the plant and the company. It was our anthem - still is for me, not sure about the old boyos - and this version is by far my most favorite out of all. Been singing this un since it came out Thank you for this - it shows a genuine recognition, and we all take it as a salute 🫡

[@Pratchettgaiman]

Congrats on making the percussion sound like industrial machinery, that was always my favorite part of the original

[@brd24gor]

Yay, some Great Big Sea and one of my favorites! Your timbre matches the tone of this song so well and I can't wait to hear you boom out some of these parts from the basement. I'm also excited to see what you do with the bodhràn part.

[@goatpuddle]

Just discovered this song a few days ago at work, and holy shit i never expected to see you do a cover . Idk what the odds are but im very excited

[@ShadowOfCicero]

Well, tbf he did just do a cover with Jax the Bard a couple months back, and the first song you find if you KZbin her is HER cover of it.

[@goatpuddle]

Edit sorta , oh fk yea i got a like from him, happy days

[@jackofblades2007]

This song always reminded me of my grandfather, he worked in a pulp and paper mill for most of his life. Talked about working around digesters, tanks of boiling acid and wood chips that stank of sulfur, and how they'd pull asbestos off by the fistful when repairing the pipes. He passed away on Monday. Great cover of the song, and amazing timing for a tribute to him.

[@CalebDennis1]

Colm, I love your voice, especially on songs with an undercurrent of righteous anger, like Come Out Ye Black and Tans or Fields of Athenry. But this is the first of those songs where I have personal stake in that anger. My maternal grandfather died of lung cancer after asbestos exposure in the Navy. He was the first of my grandparents to die, and I miss him every day. Thank you.

[@queenbee3647]

My dad worked in the trades. In 1964 he was rehabing an empty factory. He was crawling along a steel girder 30 feet above the cement floor, sandblasting gun in his hand. He didnt hear them yell get out, and no one stayed to help him down. He was getting sick from the chlorine gas, crawling backwards on that girder. By the time he made it down he collapsed. Dad spent one night in the hospital and asked no one for help. We sued no one. He got back to work that week. Believe me, he was damaged. He gurgled. He had pneumonia constantly. He would have his lungs drained. He developed heart failure. He had oxygen at home but left it when he was working. He blacked out many times from no oxygen. He was only 51 when he died. 17 years of suffering.

[@kimraudenbush615]

My respect for your father.... My condolences for your loss. May he rest in peace.

[@williammaddox6168]

When I first heard this song I shook my head at how relevant it is even today after over one hundred and fifty years. This song hits hard for me having been maintenance in foundries for a good part of my life. My current supervisor used to work in a plant that was next to a foundry I worked at, and when I mentioned to him I had worked there for ten years he looked at me in horror and asked, "You mean you worked in that black lung maker?" and people wonder why I have trouble breathing at my age.

[@maudglazbrooke1287]

If this means you've found Great Big Sea's back catalogue to plunder we are in for some absolute bangers (like this one)

[@Hsalf904]

Yes b’y

[@PenneySounds]

They didn't write the song, but this does seem influenced by their take on it

[@Cookiofshadows2]

I do find the Newfoundland accent strikingly similar to the Irish accent. My brother went on a school trip in which Ireland was a part of. He bought a cd from some folk singers while he was there and, when I first heard it, I genuinely thought it was a Newfoundland group.

[@cozmoknot]

Massive respect for all workers, especially those who work in difficult conditions. They are the key to make the world run!

[@willtiffany5409]

I think of this song every time me and my Platoon do Gas Attack drills. The lyrics are in my head every time I find myself scrambling to get my filter cleared and my mask sealed.

[@joekrafft7125]

mmmm good ol m50

[@cyclonegamez2]

COLM I cant wait!! I always get caught of guard when you set a new premier and every time I look at the date and groan because I have to wait another day and its soooo hard! You are tremendous mate your voice is phenomenal!

[@boudabras6579]

When my dad first introduced me to this song it is what began my love of Folk music, so awesome to hear Colms rendition of it, this and sixteen tons are two of my all time favorites.

[@USMC03Grunt]

I think I speak for most every blue collar worker that spends their days working around chemicals with an ERG or MSDS sheets as our Bible in a plant or industrial setting, thank you for an excellent job in covering this song!

[@cabbage3502]

So incredibly excited for this song! It was one of the first shanty songs I ever learned, and I'm so excited to hear it in your voice!

[@MaraW1832]

Might be nitpicking, but I think it's important that we call this what it is, which is a work song or protest song. Shanties are specifically nautical and tend to be much older. This song is about modern workers rights

[@MatchGirl]

This is one of my favourite labour songs and I'm so glad to hear you cover it! Fantastic work. I would love to hear more of the union organizing classics, too. There is power, there is power in a band of working folk....

[@Porty1119]

An injury to one is an injury to all.

[@MatchGirl]

@@Porty1119 Solidarity forever! When someone tells you they got rich by hard work, ask them "whose?"

[@Matthew-cw3gn]

Colm, you are unreal. Never heard a musician who puts out EXACTLY the music that hits into my bones and makes me want to play on loop for 40 mins straight.

[@CharredBacon]

My goodness, you have no clue how much I love your cover of this song. As an avid Great Big Sea fan, you did this song justice and then some! The background industrial rhythms give the song such a gutteral feel that you can feel in your chest. It really invokes my time working for a metal milling joint years ago. Thank you for this! Both my wife and I love this cover!

[@savannahlankhorst3329]

I heard caustic burn and couldn't stop starring at mine this song gives such power back

[@dagkyco8152]

2:09… legit chills hearing that absolute demon voice in the background.

[@PhoenixRanger69]

that's probably one of the side effects when working as a chemical worker! 🤣

[@Cowsablanca]

I've never heard anything like this, but holy heck, I could listen to this song all day long. Thank you, for recording this.

[@dechskaison2497]

Man that line about every day costing you two of your life. That's such good imagery.

[@BalroomBlitz715]

Chemical working is the pinnacle of “No one wants to do it, but someone’s gotta”

[@sadturtlesoup8832]

Honestly that's most blue collar jobs. Coal miners, derrick hands, millwrights, etc. Nobody wants to do it, but it pays well enough.

[@kevinkukacka1409]

​@@sadturtlesoup8832that's the gospel truth

[@Divix19]

As a former synthesis specialist and now a building-chemistry specialist I have to thank you for this song. It's more accurate than I expected 🤘

[@ArthurChristopherRose]

This song reminds me of my grandfather. He worked in a factory producing various things from plastic and rubber. (We even have two coat hangers in the house from this factory) He has become the factory's manager from a regular worker. He would often need to carry heavy moulds or machine parts, once told a story of how they needed to change some machine's flywheel and after carrying it all by himself it turned out to weigh over 200kg. Moulds would also weigh over 100kg, so today he has both his hip joints replaced with prostheses and his arm joints hurt so badly, that he often wakes up in the middle of the night to walk around the house, because the pain is weaker when he moves. Still many workers would be rather immature. A lot of them would dare others to put fingers into the machines, which would result in nasty burns and scars at best.

[@kaylamccann27]

I'm really excited for this one. All of your songs have often been played before my old job's work shifts started. Oftentimes they were the only thing that kept me going strong through the toughest of work days. Chemical Worker's Song is most definitely being added to that list. I look forward to listening to it before my job interview tomorrow. Well done once again sir!

[@Ashaera]

As a process engineer at a chemical plant...this is my jam. This is freaking awesome.

[@Dannzt]

I work at a chemical plant, i have never heard this before. You better believe im blasting this on Monday at 5am.

[@Sanderford]

This song helps one understand just how far workplace safety consciousness and law has come even in recent years. "I've stood knee-deep in cyanide, got sick with a caustic burn." Just... For some reason this got me thinking of The Bricklayer's Song, which is a more lighthearted piece of music about workplace safety. I'm now wondering what it would sound like from you.

[@TubeRadiosRule]

This has to be the best version of this song I've ever heard!

[@youknowwhatever8649]

*"I work and breathe among the fumes that trail across the sky!"* there is just something so raw about that line. Your basically saying: hay see that stuff Coming out of that smoke stack, I breathe that shit!

[@ZachToTheFuture117]

I love this one and am so glad you're doing it Colm! I remember first hearing it sung by David Coffin and I thought to myself "Colm would nail this song if he sang it" and here you are 'bout to sing it! Huzzah!

[@DavevanderVeer-jl1em]

As a former steel mill worker, I feel this song. Describes the working conditions perfectly.

[@nothuman3083]

Former pest control in sun belt Jesus weeps for our souls

[@andrewlechner6343]

@@nothuman3083 I would pray for your lungs instead.

[@nothuman3083]

@@andrewlechner6343 neurotoxin lol

[@torsui]

Oh my gosh, Great Big Sea! Awesome cover. Epic and dire at the same time.

[@leokukkonen6045]

Awesome cover Colm!!! Brought some memories from the time when i used to work for municipal composting plants. That was some wicked sh*t! I literally saw some vomitory stuff... After christmas pig heads rolling all around, pets, some really disturbing sights and questionable loads. Fish charges were the worst. Once i almost got locked up into a composting tunnel for a week while taking a sample. The gear and equipment was good, but nothing, absolutely nothing kept the smell away. Everything tasted like liquorice for years, black ooze from nose and cough despite filters. After vacation shoes were growing never-seen-before mushrooms, during summer dust explosion risks... But my immune system skyrocketed and have not been sick for 5 years so i had that going on for me which was nice.

[@theesper7404]

Loving the color lighting effects of the newer vids. Whoever's doing that has done a good job.

[@johnsmith8906]

I used to work in a chemical plant. Was told on my first day: "If that puddle there meets that puddle there they make Mustard Gas, so try not to walk though them both."

[@IanPendleton-gh6ox]

And they couldn't just clean up the puddles!? Were they not able to for some reason, or even worse, not allowed to?

[@johnsmith8906]

@@IanPendleton-gh6ox Just poor management. Company has since gone bust.

[@IanPendleton-gh6ox]

@@johnsmith8906 Sounds like it's for the best.

[@johnsmith8906]

@@IanPendleton-gh6ox Safety concerns were not top priority.

[@LilDemona]

This version needs to be on itunes 💯

[@MrSchneides]

First off, beautiful job! Well done! Second, after the instrumental part and you upped the volume on the bass voice I just melted. Wasn’t prepared and loved it.

[@Mr_T_Badger]

As somebody who works at a tar refinery, but admittedly not in the plant, your moustache might fit under the respirator but you’d need to trim up the stubble. 😋 Thank you for covering this awesome song.

[@a-mellowtea]

Unexpected but absolute joy to see Great Big Sea getting some love.

[@rabbitguts2518]

Great Big Sea only did a cover of it though. It was created by Ron Angel of the Teesside Fettlers.

[@a-mellowtea]

@@rabbitguts2518 Yes, but the particular version that Colm is covering is clearly Great Big Sea's.

[@Margaux17Vamp]

I loved the Great Big Sea version and I love yours too ! It’s great having different takes of such good songs

[@sbskinner369]

Saw the notification on Instagram and immediately thought, "Can't wait to add this to my Best of Colm playlist!"

[@carmelr5504]

Amazing song, and I'm loving hearing everyone's stories in the comments too - one of the reasons folk music is so important is that it talks about real issues and stories, and and lot of these issues haven't been left in the past but are just as important today 💚

[@jacobzach4749]

Hell yes!!! I have been waiting for this one for so long!!! God bless ya, Colm!

[@Selena-ee6ch]

I was obsessed with the cover of this that Great Big Sea did when I was a little kid. So cool to hear you singing it now. Such a great song and so dark.

[@penprp]

WOW. Your cover of this is absolutely amazing. The raw quality to your voice on the chorus is perfect for this song and the frustrated anger of it. BEAUTIFUL.

[@Norezion]

I love this song, It's a song that I cherish from my childhood, as someone from Atlantic Canada and have family who have been effected by Chemical Work, This song hits home. Amazing job on this song Colm.

[@sharonkaczorowski8690]

In his teens son was exposed to a chemical while working in a lumber yard. He was in the hospital for over a week in ICU. Some of his hair turned white as well as the skin below it, like Vitiligo. He’s now in his 4os but I remember every moment, The state inspector did his best to try to find out what it was…he never could. The owner was non cooperative, which didn’t help. I suspect it was illegal. As a volunteer fireman hubby was exposed to some very bad stuff. This song really hit hard.

[@gamerknown]

Grandmother worked at Fruit of the Loom Derry, didn't smoke a day in her life (nor did anyone in my family) but died of lung cancer at 53 when I was 4. Grandfather died 27 years later, he worked at the Post Office.

[@StitchingUpChaos]

AHHHHHHHHHH!!!! This was everything I hoped it'd be AND MORE! My spawn actually sat still long enough to listen to the whole thing and TRIED TO SING ALONG! Given that they're neurodivergent and have serious difficulty understanding lyrics fast enough to keep up that was honestly incredible. THANK YOU SO MUCH

[@WretchedRedoran]

...Spawn?

[@StitchingUpChaos]

@@WretchedRedoran Child. Kidlet. Small Horror. Crasher of Early Morning Quiet Time and Destroyer of Caffeine Related Peace. They Who Leave Lego Bricks in Inconvenient Places. The Bean. The MonsterChild, Lead Coordinator of Unscheduled Nerf Wars. The Squeaky Menace. Chaosmonger Extraordinaire. Savior of Kittens and Small Birds Which I Then Have To Feed For Many Years. That one :)

[@WretchedRedoran]

You refer to your own child as nothing more than "spawn?" You disgust me. You shouldn't have a child in the first place. If the foster system wasn't absolutely horrific, I'd hope they would be taken away from you.

[@catherinekyngdon327]

@@StitchingUpChaos LOL

[@anglepsycho]

That is a massive mood, my Autism Creature ass is barely understanding it and it slaps-

[@brandonbarrett4584]

My great-grandfather was a coal miner in the late 1800s and early 1900s. He died before I was born, but my grandfather passed on some of the horror stories he told to me; I'm eternally grateful that I haven't had to experience the same things.

[@brendanroos7102]

I haven't heard this song in forever. I used to listen to the cover by Great Big Sea, and this was a throwback. Great song, and well done.

[@sbskinner369]

Oh. My. Gosh. Colm, you killed it man !!! And that chorus... Gives me chills for multiple reasons!

[@donaldoconner]

I’ve never heard this song sung so high and energetic. I usually hear it with much more bass in the mix with a generally more “yes it’s terrible but we chose this” melancholy acceptance. Interesting change of pace

[@constantlycomic1290]

I really like the energy, personally! It gives the song a higher level of righteous anger, imo

[@bjohanns2002]

Hi Colm, congrats to 500k! And the mustache fits the vibes of the song perfectly.... great delivery. Love it.

[@maxy1172]

Being a welder I don't know if I fully can relate to the other industry workers but I feel like I can relate on some level to this song and what is described I may be young but I can already feel the effects of the fumes and smoke and UV rads shipbuilding truly is a dirty job

[@blazesaviik5878]

Banger as usual!!!!!! Man I love this song with your vocals! Gotta appreciate that wonderful Stache as well.

[@TheEternalMetalHead]

This cover is everything I was hoping it'd be and more. Amazing stuff, good sir.

[@DominicHomer]

I cannot help but feel like this is the perfect song for Lavos from Warframe since he practices Transmutation with certain elements and combining them into a lethal combination.

[@virginiaholman7327]

My mom and I love this song as it was done by Great Big Sea, but it's really nice to hear it in an Irish voice!

[@rabbitguts2518]

You should give the original by Teesside Fettlers a listen if you can find it online.

[@virginiaholman7327]

@@rabbitguts2518 One, love your screen name. Two, I'll check it out, thanks for telling me!

[@johnwaggner9143]

Not exactly equivalent, but I used to work Shipping/Receiving at a Biodiesel Plant. For the most part it was just messy and greasy, but it takes some pretty volatile chemicals to process that stuff and there's nothing quite like putting on the full heavy chemical suit and respirator so you can go be the one responsible for hooking up the hoses to the acid truck, knowing that if you fuck up this delicate operation that requires good visibility and manual dexterity (neither of which you have in the chem suit) you are going to get DRENCHED in a caustic acid and probably fired. Also add that the acid has a high freezing point, low ignition point, and you can imagine how stressful winter is.

[@Stammer6]

I first heard the Great Big Sea version of this song and instantly fell in love with it. What a great song

[@jennbowers9940]

This has to be one of the best and most creative covers of this song 🔥…and you play all the instruments, too? You crushed it 💪🏻

[@cyclonegamez2]

I see 500k subscribers looming COLM absolute congratulations for when you pass it really soon and here's towards 1 million!!

[@istvanvozary5184]

I'm a chemical worker and Firefighter/ hazmat response at my place of work. It really be like this. I always loved this song but it really hits home once you hear it singing about you.

[@craggey01]

This song strikes me close, I work with MIG Welding, only 4 years ago I got my hands on an Adflo PAPR system to filter the air. The difference is night and day, reminds me that PPE wasn't a thing a century ago. We have much to be grateful for with the PPE we have. Nice work Colm.

[@kylelarkins4385]

A friend of mine used to work in a battery manufacturing plant. Respirators, full body suits w/ hoods. Plant got upwards of 100 degrees in the summer and he had to get mandatory blood draws monthly to screen for lead and other toxins.

[@Kat-gp6gj]

Holy shit, that sounds miserable

[@baileywright1656]

I sang this song so many times while working on the spinning floor of a chemical plant that produced synthetic yarn. My third year I was working in the lab there and suffered chemical burns after an accident. After all that it makes you really appreciate the sweat and blood that goes into making all the stuff we take for granted. Great cover :)

[@JennyMartin-i9n]

Respect to all who work with chemicals your song was awsome

[@forexed8948]

I was working back up in Alaska some years back during one of the worst wildfires I can recall, at last count they had 1,000,000 acres burning. There were wildfires to the north of us, and wildfires to the south of us, the smoke was so thick ya couldn’t see the mountains on the other side of town, or any mountains for that matter. My coworkers and I weren’t given masks to do our job safely. So we were heaving luggage between the motorcoaches and the airport terminal while having to breathe in smoke from the wildfires until practically the end of the summer season. Thank the ancestors no one was incapacitated from the smoke’s thickness. This song makes me remember that horrid year and count my lucky stars that I have no lasting effects from being caught between two wildfires.

[@Lifeofawelder]

You instantly come across as a bro from the shop, clinking my coffee mug to you brother! Pot and kettle, miners song, definitely there for me too… Also check out: Offspring: Divided by zero (and tell me it’s not an overhead buttweld!) Dropkick Murphys: Rose tattoo Some heavier stuff like: Judas Priest: Painkiller Iron Maiden: Fear of the dark “Guts are bubbling belching steam, life aint nothing but a fevered dream”

[@kierinmcneill8982]

It's always a good day when Colm drops a new song and when the song is one of your favourites it's an even better day. Thank you for such a wonderful arrangement of song from childhood.

[@joekrafft7125]

army cbrn here. when you work with actual chemicals it’s terrifying that you are easily one breath and a singular filter away from a horrible death. and i couldn’t ask for a better job. i love toxic chemicals

[@nicholashadjipetrou315]

Massive shout out to my late Grandad Ron Angel part of the teeside fetters who wrote this song and was inspired by working in the chemical workers plant in Middlesbrough. Fun fact he wrote this song whilst sat on the toilet at work. Great version of the song and thank you for keeping the music of a truly great man alive

[@benjaminbrothers1658]

Looking forward to it!!! Would love to hear "oh Danny boy" if ya get a chance!!!!

[@luikcek]

I just fell in love with this song.😍 Your unique voice goes so good with these catchy, and folk songs🤩 I like how you make your versions of songs and they are much better then other versions. Also, the theme reminds me of "Father" by Sabaton ☺

[@seagreen42]

This is going to be excellent! As a very long time fan of Great Big Sea, I'm pretty sure you could rock their entire catalogue.

[@rabbitguts2518]

It's not Great Big Sea's song though, theirs was only a cover. The original was by Teesside Fettlers.

[@benelder165]

I didn't know why but the moustache specifically, definitely adds something to this already amazing performance.

[@Silasssssssss]

I've stood infront of gigantic induction furnaces, methanol factories that remind you of sleeping dragons that spews a 60 meter flame if you make it angry and currently a chlorine gas factory. Yet in every place this song seems to fit.

[@mquinn1984]

Just finished introducing the Industrial Revolution to my AP World students and shared this song with them. Your version has factory sound effects. :)

[@vHindenburg]

What was their recation?

[@mquinn1984]

@@vHindenburg No comment.

[@FluffyPrincess888]

speaking of timing your every breath! The breath support for the lyrics!! especially with the long "but you gooooooooooooo" brava indeed

[@Teldras00]

This hits home.. I do Hazmat transport and cleaning.. Now, sing this in a Gasmask! ;)

[@legendarydumpsterfire]

thank you for posting this, because I am listening to this version over and over again so i can write a parody about deep sea creatures for my marine science class