By Nick Perrin and Ruth Kenward

8 to 12 yrs - part song  (2m30s)

Download contains: Piano-vocal score, lyric sheet, mp3 demo & backing tracks

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Theme – Victorian working conditions

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Content – This brilliantly crafted song is a great piece to get your teeth into with a larger group, ideal for massed choirs. Harsh conditions for workers at the height of the 19th century Industrial Revolution are depicted here. Four groups are represented: bosses, servants, miners and chimney sweeps. Each group has its own melody, sung individually and then alongside the others.  

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Lyrics sample

All 

Work hard! Keep right on working!

Work hard to earn a crust.

Work hard! Keep right on working!

Our brothers are starving

And they need to be fed.

Bosses Group 

You’ll get no pay until your work is finished.

You’ll get no pay until it’s late and dark.

You’ll get no pay until your day has ended.

This ain’t a walk in the park!

Servants Group 

Light the fire, scrub the floor.

Never ending kitchen chores!

Wash and mangle, dry and rack.

Make the beds and break your back!

Miners Group 

Deep in the mines we work all day.

Down in the dark for little pay.

Under the ground we sweat and slave

Working ourselves into the grave.

Chimney Sweep Group 

Climb, climb, got to climb to the roof top.

Sweep, sweep, got to sweep ’til we all drop.

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'Work Hard' is taken from the musical ‘The Keymaster’