[Men's Choir Singing in Welsh]
[Church Bell Ringing]
I am packing my belongings
in the shawl my mother used to wear
when she went to the market,
and I am going from my valley,
and this time, I shall never return
I am leaving behind me my 50 years of memory
Memory
Strange that the mind will forget so much
of what only this moment has passed
and yet hold clear and bright
the memory of what happened years ago,
of men and women long since dead
Yet who shall say what is real
and what is not?
Can I believe my friends all gone
when their voices are still a glory in my ears?
No, and I will stand to say no and no again,
for they remain a living truth within my mind
There is no fence nor hedge 'round time that is gone
You can go back and have what you like of it
if you can remember
So I can close my eyes on my valley as it is today,
and it is gone,
and I see it as it was when I was a boy
green it was and possessed of the plenty of the earth
In all Wales, there was none so beautiful
Everything I ever learnt as a small boy
came from my father,
and I never found anything he ever told me
to be wrong or worthless
The simple lessons he taught me
are as sharp and clear in my mind
as if I had heard them only yesterday
In those days, the black slag, the waste of the coal pits,
had only begun to cover the side of our hill,
not yet enough to mar the countryside
nor blacken the beauty of our village
for the colliery had only begun
to poke its skinny black fingers
through the green
I can hear even now the voice of my sister Angharad
(music) Huw (music)
(music) Angharad (music)(music)
Coal miners were my father and all my brothers,
and proud of their trade
Gwilym Morgan, £3 and 7
Thank you, sir
lanto Morgan, £3 and 7
Ivor Morgan, £3 and 7
Davy Morgan, £2 and 5
Owen Morgan, £2 and 5
Young Gwilym Morgan, £1 and 10
Someone would strike up a song,
and the valley would ring with the sound of many voices,
for singing is in my people as sight is in the eye
[Whistle Blows]
[Singing in Welsh]
Then came the scrubbing out in the back yard
It was the duty of my sister Angharad
to bring the buckets of hot water and cold,
and I performed what little tasks I could,
as my father and brothers
scrubbed the coal dust from their backs
Most would come off them, but some would stay for life
This is the honorable badge of the coal miner,
and I envied it on my father and grown-up brothers
Scrub and scrub,
Mr. Coal would lie there and laugh at you
Aah!
Oh!
There was always a baron of beef
or a shoulder or leg of lamb before my father
There was never any talk while we were eating
I never met anybody whose talk was better than good food
My mother was always on the run,
always the last to start her dinner
and the first to finish,
for if my father was the head of our house,
my mother was its heart
After dinner, when dishes had been washed,
the box was brought to the table
for the spending money to be handed out
No one in our valley had ever seen a bank
We kept our savings on the mantelpiece
My father used to say that money was made to be spent,
just as men
spend their strength and brains in earning it...
and as willingly...
but always with a purpose
Thank you, Dada
Ha ha ha!
Out of the house and across the street,
as I had run a hundred times before
[Bell Ringing]
Softly now, for respect for chapel
was the first thing my father taught us
Then straight to Mrs. Tossall,
the shop for that toffee which you could chew for hours,
it seems to me now,
and even after it had gone down,
you could swallow and still find the taste of it
hiding behind your tongue
It is with me now, so many years later
[Doorbell Rings]
It makes me think of so much that was good
that is gone
It was on this afternoon that I first saw Bron...
Bronwyn
She had come over from the next valley
for her first call on my father and mother
Is this Gwilym Morgan's house?
You must be Huw
Is that you, Bronwyn?
Yes
There is lovely you are
I think I fell in love with Bronwyn then
Perhaps it is foolish to think a child could fall in love,
but I am the child that was,
and nobody knows how I felt, except only me
I am so proud for Ivor
I'm the one to be proud
You think well of our Ivor?
Ha ha ha!
It seems only a few months
since he was scratching around here
like this one with his mouth open
This is Bronwyn, Huw,
who's to be your sister
We have met already
Be careful of the basket
There's shortcake in it
This is not for you, Huw
You will have your time to come Run along
[Singing in Welsh]
Oh!
Bronwyn and Ivor were to be married
by the new preacher, Mr. Gruffydd,
who had come from the university at Cardiff
This was my first sight of him
[Singing in Welsh]
[Bell Ringing]
- Yay! - Yay!
[Laughter]
[Laughter Stops]
Oh!
(music) Now, here's a man won't get drunk (music)
(music) Can't get drunk, shan't get drunk (music)
(music) Here's a man won't get drunk (music)
(music) Peter O'Pea (music)
(music) From my heel to my toe, from my toe to my knee (music)
(music) I'll walk the line, jog the line... (music)
(music) Oh, P... (music)(music)
Ohh
Good evening, Mr. Morgan
Yes, indeed, sir
Oh, excuse me
Thank you
Ahh
[Singing in Welsh]
Come now, boys Back to work
Ivor, find Dai Griffiths and Idris john
and bring them to Mr. Evans' office
will we come with you?
No This is for the older men
Home to your mother
But...
Leave it now, Davy
Well, come! Come!
Why aren't you washed?
We were waiting for you
The cut is only a few shillings
There will still be plenty for all of us
A bit of supper now, is it, girl?
It is because they are not getting the old price for coal
Come and wash now
May-May we speak first, sir?
Yes
They did not give the real reason for this cut
We've been expecting it
since the ironworks at Dowlais closed
What have the ironworks to do with us?
Their men came to the colliery
willing to work for any wage,
so our wages must come down
And this is only the beginning
Watch now,
they'll cut us again and still again,
until they have this...
as empty as their promises
Nonsense A good worker is worth good wages,
and he will get them
Not while there are three men for every job
Why should owners pay more if men are willing to work for less?
Because the owners are not savages
They are men, like us
Men, yes, but not like us
Would they deal with you when you went to them?
No
They have power,
and we have none
How will we get power... from the air?
No From a union of all the men
Union, is it?
I never thought I'd hear my own sons
talking socialist nonsense
But it's sense, good sense!
Unless we stand together...
I've had enough of this talk!
But, Father, it d...
Come and wash now
Your good mother will be waiting
Do you think I'll let them
make my father stand like a dog in the rain
and not raise my hands to stop it?
Hisht, Davy
Who gave you permission to speak?
This is too important for silence
They're trying to punish you...
It is not more important than good manners
What are we going to do?
You'll die of the cold when it comes to snow
Let us stand together
and see how they act then
Right The men will come if we say the word All the pits are ready
You will not make me a plank for your politics
I will not be the excuse for any strike
If they can do things like that to the spokesman,
what will they try and do to the men?
We will see Be silent now Finish your supper
But, father...
Enough now!
- But... - On with your work
It is not enough!
Owen!
Hold your tongue until you have permission to speak!
I will speak against injustice anywhere,
with permission or without it
Not in this house
In this house and outside, sir
Leave the table
I will leave the house
Gwil! Tell your father you're sorry
I'm not sorry
I am with you We can find lodgings in the village
Gwilym
All of you, then?
For the last time, sit down, finish your supper
I will say no more
We are not questioning your authority, sir,
but if manners prevent our speaking the truth,
we will be without manners
Get your clothes and go
I am going with them to look after them
Hold your tongue, girl! Get on with your dishes!
[Clink]
Ah-choo!
Yes, my son I know you are there
The men have struck
[Bells Ringing]
What does it mean, Mr. Gruffydd?
It means that
something has gone out of this valley
that may never be replaced
Home to your father and mother, boy
They'll need you today
22 weeks the men were out,
as the strike moved into winter
It was strange to go out into the street
and find the men there in the daytime
It had a feeling of fright in it,
and always the mood of the men grew uglier,
as empty bellies and desperation
began to conquer reason
Any man who was not their friend
became their enemy
They knew that my father had opposed the strike,
and now it was they who opposed him
[Glass Breaks]
[Smack]
Huw,
there's a meeting of the men
in the hills tonight, is it?
Yes, Mama
You will take me there
Oh, no, Mama It is no place for women
There's a place for this woman there tonight
upon my soul
Wait, wait till you hear me
I am Beth Morgan, as you damn well know
I have come to tell you what I think of you all
because you're talking against my husband!
You're a lot of cowards to go against him!
He would do nothing against you,
and you know it well!
How some of you, you smug-faced hypocrites,
can sit in the same chapel with him
I cannot tell
To say he's with the owners is not only nonsense,
but downright wickedness!
There's one thing more I've got to say,
and it is this...
if harm comes to my Gwilym, I'll find out the men,
and I will kill them with my two hands,
and this I will swear by God Almighty!
[Murmuring]
Lanto, help!
Help!
Help! Help!
Hold on, Mama! They've heard us!
They're coming!
Ahh
He was awake just now
Shh
He'll do, then
But it's beyond me to say why!
You're breeding horses in this family,
Mr. Morgan
Ha!
This boy should be in his coffin,
for my part
He's a Morgan, then, is it, sir?
Eh
He should be fed now, Mrs. Ivor...
a little soup and some warm smile
Ahhh
Yes
Ah!
Horse!
Well, good day Wait, wait, wait
Huw was awake He spoke to Bron
How long for the little one?
It's hard to tell
His legs were frozen to the bone
A year, two year like that
but I can't promise he'll ever walk again!
Nature must take her course!
Mind your tongue!
I think he heard you
Where is the light I thought to see in your eye?
Are you afraid, boy?
Hmm?
You heard what the doctor said?
Yes, sir
And you believed it?
Yes, sir
You want to walk again, don't you?
Yes, sir
Then you must have faith,
and if you have, you will walk again
no matter what all the doctors say
But he said nature must take her course
"Nature is the handmaiden of the Lord"
I remember one or two occasions
when she was given orders to change her course
You know your scriptures, boy
Yes, sir
Then you know that what's been done before
can be done again... for you
Do you believe me, Huw?
Yes, sir
Good
You will see the first daffodil
out on the mountain
Will you?
Indeed I will, sir
Then you will
I could almost wish
that I were lying there in your place,
if it meant reading this book again
for the first time
Treasure
Island
Mr. Gruffydd?
I couldn't let you go without thanking you
It was only my duty, girl
No It was more than duty
Yes, Huw's a fine boy,
and you're a fine family
Um, you'd better be going in now You'll catch your death
Yes
Will you be coming to supper soon?
Uh, yes, later,
when you're finished with doctors and such, huh?
I will hurry them away, then
Good
"Squire Trelawney, Dr Livesey,
and the rest of these gentlemen,
having asked me to write down
the whole particulars about Treasure Island
from the beginning to the end,
keeping nothing back but the bearings of the island,
and that only because
there is still treasure not yet lifted,
I take up my pen
in the year of grace 1785
and go back to the time
when my father kept the Admiral Benbow Inn"
All the noble books
which have lived in my mind ever since,
and always I hoped and kept my faith
For the first months,
my mother was still upstairs,
and we could talk to each other with tappings
[Chirp]
[Huw Whistling]
[Cackling]
Spring?
There you are, girl
Easy
There you are
Wait
Ah, it's the old snow got into it
[Singing in Welsh]
Oh, Gwilym
There is a wife you have,
resting in her bed
and letting strangers care for her family
There is a wife I have, then
Go along with you, boy
[Singing in Welsh]
Will you say something, Mother?
Go on Say something
But what... what'll I say?
You found plenty to say the last time you spoke
It should be easier now, with friends
Uh, well...
welcome and eat, everyone
Smoke is it, boys
lanto
I haven't seen you in chapel lately
I have been too busy
What business, may I ask?
Mine
Only asking a civil question, I was
And having a civil answer
I have been busy with the union
Unions are the work of the devil
You will come to no good end
At least I am not sitting on it,
talking rubbish in chapel
Look here...
Oh, leave it, or I'll say something to be sorry
This is a matter that requires airing
lanto, why do you think
we at the chapel talk rubbish?
My remark was not aimed at you
Then aim it
Very well
Because you make yourselves out
to be shepherds of the flock,
and yet you allow your sheep
to live in filth and poverty,
and if they try and raise their voices against it,
you calm them by telling them
their suffering is the will of God
Sheep, indeed
Are we sheep to be herded and sheared
by a handful of owners?
I was taught man was made
in the image of God, not a sheep
I haven't expressed my views around here
because I haven't had any wish
to interfere in a family disagreement
You have my permission to speak
Very well, then Here is what I think
First, have your union
You need it
Alone, you are weak Together, you're strong
But remember
that with strength goes responsibility,
to others and yourselves,
for you cannot conquer injustice with more injustice...
only with justice and the help of God
Are you coming outside your position in life,
Mr. Gruffydd?
Your business is spiritual
My business is anything that comes between man
and the spirit of God
The deacons shall hear
that you've been preaching socialism!
Mr. Parry!
Loose the old devil's teeth!
He is our guest!
Beth, a pint of home brew for Mr. Parry
I'll give him a clout with a frying pan!
Oh!
Miss Jenkins! A sweet song!
The harp, is it?
Come on, men Get in here
Now, look A little song
Angharad
Mr. Gruffydd, will we always be in your debt,
now you have made us a family again?
Here Let me
Oh, your hands
There's a pity
No matter
Have you ever been down the collieries?
10 years
10 years?
While I was studying
A bit of soap now
Oh, don't bother, please
There's a man for you...
spoiling his good handkerchief
Look, now... you are king in the chapel,
but I will be queen in my own kitchen
You will be queen wherever you walk
What does that mean?
I should not have said it
Why?
I have no right to speak to you so
Mr. Gruffydd?
If the right is mine to give,
you have it
[Horn Blowing]
Then the strike was settled,
with the help of Mr. Gruffydd and my father
Work again...
work to wipe out the memory of idleness and hardship
The men were happy going up the hill that morning
1 and 9
1 and 10!
[Horn Blowing]
But not all of them,
for there were too many now for the jobs open,
and some learned that never again
would there be work for them
in their own valley
It is the same
all over south Wales, it is
Father
In Cardiff, the men are standing in line
to have bread from the government
Not for us, eh, lad?
We will have our share of the box
and go, if you please, sir
Where will you go?
America
My share, too, Owen
And mine
No Our own
We will take no charity
Not charity, man... sense
No, only our own
Ahem
[Sniff Sniff]
Say nothing of this to your mother
Let this day be over first
Never mind saying nothing
I heard
America?
My babies
Shall we have a chapter, my sons?
What shall we have, sir?
Isaiah 55
Those two gone...
this is only the beginning
Then all of you will go
One after the other, all of you
I will never leave you, Mama
Huw, boy, if you should ever leave me,
I'll be sorry I ever had babies
Why did you have them?
Indeed to goodness, boy, why?
To keep my hands in water
and my face to the fire, perhaps
Whoa!
For Mr. Ivor Morgan
From Windsor Castle it is
"Mr. Ivor Morgan is commanded
to appear before Her Majest..."
"Mr. Ivor Morgan is commanded
to appear before Her Majesty at Windsor Castle
with chosen members of his choir the 14th of May
between the hours of 3:00 and 5:00"
- Yay! - Yay!
God save the Queen!
To sing before the queen...
My son, I never thought to see this beautiful day
Idris, Owen, all of you...
fetch everyone from all the valleys 'round
Davy, over to the other collieries
Invite everyone It's a celebration, tell them
lanto, down to the Three Bells for beer
Open house tonight for all who will come
[Cheering]
My sons
you shall have a sendoff worthy of the Morgans
[Bell Rings]
Our heavenly Father,
I give thanks from the heart
to live this day
I give thanks for all I have,
and I do give thanks for this new blessing,
for you are our father,
but we look to our queen as our mother
Comfort her in her troubles, oh God,
and let her worries be not more
than she shall bear at her age,
and grant that sweetness and power and spirit
may be given to these voices
that shall sing at her command
Amen
- Amen - Amen
[Bell Rings]
(music) God save our gracious queen (music)
(music) Long live our noble queen (music)
(music) God save our queen (music)
(music) Send her victorious (music)
(music) Happy and glorious (music)
Gwilym! Owen!
(music) Long to reign over us (music)
(music) God save our queen (music)(music)
[Knock on Door]
Good morning, dear Mr. Gruffydd
There is good to see you
Angharad is at the market
Angharad? Oh, I've come for Huw
For Huw?
The daffodils are out, Mama
Where are your clothes, boy?
Under my pillow
Your pillow?
For these months, ready for today
Come then, and you shall
bring back a posy fit for a queen
for your brave mother
Indeed I will, sir
Almost there, Huw
Yes, sir
Low bridge there Watch out
It's fine
All right
Ha ha!
All right?
Yes, sir
Easy it is, now
There
Cwm Rhondda
But, Mr. Gruffydd...
You can walk, Huw,
if you try
Come, lad
You can walk
Huw! Walk!
There's a good lad
Come on
See? Ha ha!
There's a good old man
You've been lucky, Huw
Lucky to suffer
lucky to spend these weary months in bed
for so God has given you a chance
to make spirit within yourself,
and as your father cleans his lamp to have good light,
so keep clean your spirit, huh?
How, sir?
By prayer, Huw
And by prayer, I don't mean shouting and mumbling
and wallowing like a hog in religious sentiment
Prayer is only another name
for good, clean, direct thinking
When you pray, think
Think well what you're saying
Make your thoughts into things that are solid,
and that way, your prayer will have strength,
and that strength will become a part of you,
body, mind, and spirit
And the first duty of these new legs
is to get you to chapel on Sunday
Indeed they will, sir
There's a good old man again
Give me your hand
Come on now
[Ringing]
[Choir Singing]
Will you please remain in your places?
There's to be a meeting of the deacons
Ceinwen Lewis!
Step forward!
Your sins have found you out!