Fare ye well old Ely Branch
Fare ye well I say i'm tired o' livin' on
Dried beef and tomatoes
And I'm a-goin' away

When we had a strike in Ely this spring
These words ol' Hughes did say
Come along boys go back to work
We'll give you the two weeks' pays
When they put on their mining clothes
Hard work again they tried
And when ol' payday rolled around
They found ol' Hughes had lied

So fare ye well old Ely Branch
Fare ye well I say i'm tired o' livin' on
Dried beef and tomatoes
And I'm a-goin' away
When Hughes thinks his mines
Was goin' to stop, a sight to see him frown
There's gas enough in old Hughes
To blow these mountains down
Oh take your children outta Ely Branch
Before they cry for bread
For when ol' Hughes' debts are paid
He won't be worth a thread

So fare ye well old Ely Branch
Fare ye well I say i'm tired o' livin' on
Dried beef and tomatoes
And I'm a-goin' away

Now Hughes claims he owns
More mines than these
He says he gots money to lend
But when ol' payday rolls around
He can't pay off his men
I'd rather be in Pine Grove jail with
My back all covered in lice
Than to be in old Hughes' coal mines
Diggin' coal at Hughes' price

I think John Yaeger's a very nice man
He's the same ol' John every day
But a man can't live can't live
On dried beef and tomatoes
An' I'm a-goin' away

So fare ye well old Ely Branch
Fare ye well I say i'm tired o' livin' on
Dried beef and tomatoes
And I'm a-goin' away