Company Town by Gezz Overington As recorded by Gezz Overington There was but few scattered farms beside the River Ouse Tall masted ships to Selby sailed with weathered sailor crews Vermuyden came to Hatfield Chase and he said “I’ll drain the land” The banks and the dykes and Dutch river were built or dug by hand The hamlets grew throughout the years and people prospered well ’Til men from the Aire and Calder came their own strange tale to tell We’ll build an inland waterway with docks and housing too A company town with jobs of work, that’s what we’ll build for you The navigators came in droves with hammer, pick and spade They broke the stone and hewed the land and miles of concrete laid By ’26 the work was done and ships moored by the quay The waterway ran through and straight from Goole to Knottingley Then hoists and pans and tugs were built to hurry down the coal From Yorkshire’s pits down the waterways into the collier ships hold The port it boomed and ships they sailed on a fast flowing Humber tide All bound for the swell of the northern sea to nations far and wide Recorded on :