There are images from literature that stick in the mind and, for me, one of those is that of the roadman whose identity Richard Hannay borrows in John Buchan’s ‘The Thirty-Nine Steps’. Robert Hard, one of Baring-Gould’s singers, ended his life as a stone-breaker on the roads. This song is about work, its ephemeral nature and a man’s pride in what he does. Paul Wilson’s percussion on this track uses a piece of Dartmoor granite as well as slate (though not Cornish).
Stonecracker John wakes at five in the morning every day
Cuts his bread and cheese then he waits for the cart to carry him away
While the tradesmen sleep, he must earn his keep
'In a hundred years it'll all be the same' says Stonecracker John
Stonecracker John rides off to his work with six other men
With 'Good Morning!' said, their silence cloaks them once again
For the chat's stillborn, they can only yawn
'In a hundred years it'll all be the same' says Stonecracker John
At the Five Mile Cross the cart will leave him out on his own
With a mallet and a chisel and a ten pound hammer and a block of stone
Through the long hot day, he must chip away
'In a hundred years it'll all be the same says' Stonecracker John
In the heat of Noon he'll find some shade to have his food
And he'll watch the traffic moving up and down the road
All the rich on wheels, and the poor on their heels
'In a hundred years it'll all be the same' says Stonecracker John
Stonecracker John fills the ruts in the road with broken stone
When the hole is filled he moves aside and the wheels roll on
He'll be homeward bound as the sun goes down
'In a hundred years it'll all be the same' says Stonecracker John
Stonecracker John peers out of his window, housetop high
He can see his handwork cross the hill and touch the sky
In the pale moon's light it's a ribbon of white
'In a hundred years it'll all be the same' says Stonecracker John
'In a hundred years it'll all be the same' says Stonecracker John
Copyright (c) 1974 Martin Graebe