This song was inspired by press cuttings discovered by a friend about a remarkable woman who lived in Redruth in the 19th century.
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Gracey Briney – Song Lyrics by Lizzie Pridmore
There was a maid who lived in Redruth in her youth
Until long in the tooth
The neighbours found her rather uncouth
And they called her Gracey Briney
Her hobnail boots and elegant dress cut a dash
With an air of panache
She wore a top hat and a moustache
And they called her Gracey Briney
She fought and she wrestled and drank with the boys
Holding her own in the hubbub and noise
Smoking a pipe with incredible poise
They called her Gracey Briney
A workhouse girl, young Gracey was sent to the mine
Before she was nine
She'd learnt to keep the horses in line
Raising kibble from the mine shaft
A pregnancy, a change of perspective, the sound
Of a girl on the ground
Where women's work had never been found
Raising kibble from the mine shaft
She fought and she wrestled and drank with the boys
Holding her own in the hubbub and noise
Smoking a pipe with incredible poise
They called her Gracey Briney
She left the mine and picked up a horse and a cart
Delight in her heart
To breathe the air and make a new start
Taking cherries to the market
She traded there for many a year, she would hail
In top hat and tails
The passers-by who might make a sale
Of her cherries from the market
She fought and she wrestled and drank with the boys
Holding her own in the hubbub and noise
Smoking a pipe with incredible poise
They called her Gracey Briney.
Lizzie Pridmore, 2016 & 2020
Sources
Press cuttings given to me by a friend, unknown publication.
Lynne Mayers, The Balmaidens (Penzance: Hypatia Trust, 2004), pp.188-190