"Burning Underground" - Bim Skala Bim, 1998 (ska)

There's a fire burning underground
through the vacant mine shafts
all around
Underneath the hills and below the town
there's a fire burning
underground

Lehigh Valley
In northern Appalachia
Abandoned, still standing
No one left to tip it over

There's a fire burning underground
through the fabled mine shafts
of the town
Underneath the hills and below the ground
there's a fire burning upside down

A big ol' sink hole opened up last night
swallowed a mailbox and a Dodge
down there by the traffic light
Tow truck pulled it out and said no charge

Open steam and burning at the sight
black smoke turning day into night
Abandoned, still standing
Their good ol' days are over
It's a bit ironic, isn't it...one of America's longest-lasting ska bands writing a song about one of America's longest-lasting mine fires? "Burning Underground" isn't one of the Boston band's greatest hits. In fact, it appears on a B-side and outtake album called "The One That Got Away". It really isn't even that great of a song compared to the rest of the band's repertoire, but they needed to fill up space on the record, and why not fill it up with some smoke and mirrors...or at least smoke. After all, that's what the town of Centralia, PA is filled with, and that's what the song is about. At least you're not 3:36 dumber...

In its heyday, much like any mining town, Centralia had a modest population of about 3,000 people, comprised of coal miners and their families. A tourist's visit today could nearly double the population. There are 10 people who live there...precariously. The United States Census Bureau officially recognizes the Lehigh Valley (in which Centralia is located) as the Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton Metropolitan Area. If you weren't familiar with the area before, perhaps you recognize the names Allentown and Bethlehem, which are historically famous for their mining operations and steel production.

Centralia was once part of the Lehigh Valley powerhouse. By 1962, mining operations were so successful that trash and mining waste had begun to accumulate. As there was no designated dump site, mining companies would fill old strip mines with trash. At one point there were eight illegitimate dump sites around the city, and Pennsylvania lawmakers had already learned the painful correlation between landfills and mine fires. A precautionary law passed in 1956 required that all strip mine landfills be inspected regularly as it was not uncommon for new mines to have perforated the walls of old mines.

Upon the regulatory inspection of the proposed landfill site, an inspector for the Dept. of Mines and Mineral Industries noticed holes in the wall and floor of the mine site and informed Council members that the site would have to be cleared and filled with an incombustible material before the city could officially deposit trash there. The proposed site, however, already had trash in it, and the city would have to remove it before they could meet the regulatory requirements. The meeting minutes do not disclose the proposed disposal procedure, but historians' best guesses speculate that Council had agreed to burn the trash rather than remove it (since that is exactly what they did), and that such discussion was omitted from the minutes because Pennsylvania state law prohibited dump fires...and as Centralia learned the hard way, some laws are there for good reason.

On May 27, Centralia council hired five members of the volunteer fire department and lit the match. After allowing some of the trash to burn, the flames were doused and the fire was assumed to be out. However, two days later, another burst of flames erupted from the pit. These flames, too, were doused. Given the scale of the burn, a smaller eruption could be considered normal and no big deal as perhaps the fire just hadn't been completely put out. The pit seemed under control until a week later when fires once again erupted. Again the fires were put down,and this time the fire department sent in a bulldozer to stir up the garbage, presuming that the cause was smoldering, underlying waste.

Once the pit was churned, however, workmen found a hole in the floor of the pit that intersected another mine shaft underneath. The presence of trash had concealed the hole. The fire department wetted the trash and killed the flames once again, but the fire would not stop. While there was no open flame at the moment, the fire continued to smolder out of control filling the area with foul odors and noxious fumes. Residents filed complaints with the borough, and eventually more equipment was brought in to determine the cause of the belligerent burning. Detection devices found high levels of carbon monoxide, which was indicative of a mine fire. Despite bids to dig the area and clear the fire out of the mine shafts, on August 6, lethal levels of carbon monoxide were detected, as the fire had spread to network of mines below, igniting a large vein of anthracite coal that could not be extinguished, and all Centralia area mines were permanently closed.

For the next 20 years, numerous futile attempts were made to extinguish the fire. Not only were the deadly fumes a threat to residents, but the ground beneath their houses and their feet became highly unstable as coal burned away leaving fissures and causing the collapse of surrounding rock. Sinkholes appeared overnight swallowing houses and sometimes even people. Between the constant belching of toxic gases and the unstable foundation below them, the town of Centralia, PA became unlivable, and most of the residents moved away under the Federal relocation program. Experts say there is enough coal down there for the fire to burn freely for another 250 years. All lands and properties have since been seized by the State through eminent domain, and in 1992 the town's ZIP code was officially revoked.

Bim Skala Bim isn't the only band to make something out of the nothing that is left of Centralia, PA. The 1991 movie "Nothing But Trouble" takes a stab at it in a comedy that's almost as bad as the fire itself, starring Chevy Chase, Dan Akroyd, Demi Moore, and featuring hip hop artists Digital Underground (including Tupac's theatrical debut) in a burned out, Rust Belt town called Valkenvania that collapses into a heap of underground flames. It's also the inspiration for the film adaptation of the video game "Silent Hill". Filmmakers made several trips to Centralia to draw up the set, the most iconic centerpiece, of course, being the church.

Just the facts, Ma'am:
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/energy/2013/01/pictures/130108-centralia-mine-fire
http://www.roadsideamerica.com/story/2196
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/05/25/centralia-pennsylvania-fire_n_1546552.html

"Hey Man Nice Shot" - Filter, 1995 (alternative)

I wish I would've met you;
now it's a little late.
What you could've taught me,
I could've saved some face.
They think that your early ending was all wrong;
for the most part they're right,
but look how they all got strung.

That's why I say, "Hey man, nice shot."
"What a good shot, man."

A man, has gun -
Hey man, have fun.
Nice shot!

Now that the smokes gone,
and the air is all clear:
those who were right there
had a new kind of fear.
You'd fight and you were right -
but, they were just too strong.
They'd stick it in your face
and let you smell what they consider wrong.

That's why I say "Hey man, nice shot."
"...a good shot, man."
That's why I say "Hey man, nice shot."
"...what a good shot, man."

A man, has gun -
Hey man, have fun.

Oh, nice shot man!

Oh, I wish I would've met you.
I wish I would've met you, oh.
I wish I would've met you, oh.
I wish I would've met you,
I'd say, "Nice shot."

In 1993, the City Cleveland brought us Filter, and in 1995 ex Nine Inch Nails guitar player Richard Patrick made his contribution to history in music with the band's first big hit "Hey Man Nice Shot", which has since been played in everything from movies, to cartoons, to video games, to the NHL's Playoff broadcast and Australia's National Rugby League. All in all, that's not a bad way to enter the history books...unless of course, you happen to be the guy in the song.

When "Hey Man Nice Shot" first debuted, it was assumed that the song was a nod to Kurt Cobain, who shot himself in April of 1994. However, the song was actually written about the 1987 public suicide of Pennsylvania state treasurer R. Budd Dwyer. Dwyer was a teacher and a family man. Born in 1939, he graduated from Allegheny College and went on to get his Master's in Education, and was not only a Social Studies teacher, but was also a football coach at Cambridge Springs High School. Finally, Dwyer was given an opportunity to visit Poland as a Community Ambassador, where he truly experienced the differences between American and Communist government systems. It was this experience that compelled him to be a part of the democratic process. In 1965, Dwyer won a seat in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives, and in 1970 he joined the Senate. From 1980-1987, Dwyer finished out his political career as Pennsylvania State Treasurer. Dwyer's life and career would be cut short in 1987, following a hard lesson in honesty and politics.

During Dwyer's tenure as Pennsylvania State Treasurer, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania accidentally overpaid millions of dollars in FICA taxes. In an effort to correct this mistake, the state undertook the soliciting of bids from accounting firms to determine the amount of refunds the employees would receive. It was Dwyer's job to assist the state in awarding a contract to a company that would order the books. One particular accounting firm out of California, Computer Technology Associates, won the bid with the help of company founder and Harrisburg native John Torquato Jr, who despite his company's base on the West Coast, remained largely influential in the Midwest and used Pennsylvania area connections and bribery to secure the $4.6 million contract for his company. Soon after the contract was awarded, Pennsylvania Governor Dick Thornburgh received an anonymous tip that the award was not entirely on the up-and-up, and a full-scale investigation was launched.

During the investigation, the US Attorney's Office discovered that R. Budd Dwyer had used his position and office to steer the state to awarding Computer Technology Associates with the accounting contract and had refused to invite other bids. He was indicted for the receipt of $300,000 in kickbacks from said company for his favors. Later John Torquato Jr., who was also indicted in the same event, would turn state's evidence and testify against Dwyer and others involved in the fiasco. If Dwyer was willing to resign his office, cooperate with the government investigation, and serve a maximum of five years in prison, the Prosecution would offer him a single charge of bribe receiving. He refused. As a result, the government crippled Dwyer's defense with the help of the testimony of unindicted involved persons. In addition to the bribe receiving, Dwyer faced a myriad of other charges, including: 5 counts of mail fraud, 4 counts of interstate transportation in aiding racketeering, and 1 conspiracy to commit bribery. When all was said and done, Dwyer faced a sentence of up to 55 years in prison and $300,000 fine. Thanks to a loophole in PA law, Dwyer was able to keep his job and continue serving in its capacity until his sentence was given by Federal court. Dwyer insisted he had maintained his good nature and that he had been framed and even wrote a letter to President Reagan begging for a Presidential pardon, which he did not receive.

On the day before his sentencing, R. Budd Dwyer called a news conference to update his campaign staff on his status before leaving office. At the meeting, Dwyer handed out envelopes to two of his aides and then acting Treasurer, stating that within each envelope was a set of instructions they were to follow later. He then proceeded to the front of the room where five television cameras and a handful of newspaper and radio reporters and photographers were waiting to document his words for the occasion. As they waited for him to speak, Dwyer reached his hand into a last manilla envelope and pulled out a loaded .357 magnum revolver. The room erupted into a mixture of panic and pleading as those in attendance attempted to persuade him to put the gun down. Dwyer held one hand out defensively and clutched the gun with the other. "Please leave the room if this will...if this will offend you." Dwyer said. As others approached to disarm him he said, "Stay away...this will hurt someone." And with that and with cameras rolling, he placed the gun in his mouth and pulled the trigger.

~ You didn't hear it from me. I got it from:

I Knew Bud Dwyer. I Was At The Trial
Who Was Bud Dwyer?

"Allentown" - Billy Joel, 1982 (rock)

Well we're living here in Allentown
And they're closing all the factories down
Out in Bethlehem they're killing time
Filling out forms
Standing in line
Well our fathers fought the Second World War
Spent their weekends on the Jersey Shore
Met our mothers in the USO
Asked them to dance
Danced with them slow
And we're living here in Allentown

But the restlessness was handed down
And it's getting very hard to stay

Well we're waiting here in Allentown
For the Pennsylvania we never found
For the promises our teachers gave
If we worked hard
If we behaved
So the graduations hang on the wall
But they never really helped us at all
No they never taught us what was real
Iron and coke
And chromium steel
And we're waiting here in Allentown

But they've taken all the coal from the ground
And the union people crawled away

Every child had a pretty good shot
To get at least as far as their old man got
But something happened on the way to that place
They threw an American flag in our face

Well I'm living here in Allentown
And it's hard to keep a good man down
But I won't be getting up today

And it's getting very hard to stay
And we're living here in Allentown
When the going gets tough, the tough get singing. There is no greater outlet for Man's emotions than through music. That's what it's for. It's the stuff of life, good and bad, that makes for a really good meaningful song. "Allentown" is no different, and the topical circumstances are no different than what we are experiencing right now...severe recession.


The song is about the steel industry in Pennsylvania, and even though the title is Allentown, PA, as there are no steel mills in Allentown, the lyrics are really talking about the city of Bethlehem, PA (the Bethlehem Steel Corporation) and the decline of the American manufacturing industry in the late 1970's, which Billy Joel personally witnessed. He chose to keep Allentown as the title city because he felt that using the name "Bethlehem" would create some confusion, causing people to think about Christmas and Baby Jesus instead of what the song's true focus was. Bethlehem Steel employed most of the people of Bethlehem, PA as well as other neighboring cities in the Lehigh Valley area, and yes, Allentown was one of them.

The song opens and closes with a distinct rhythm. It is the sound of a rolling mill, which is used to convert steel ingots into I-beams. During the industrial boom of the Bethlehem Steel Corporation, this sound was heard all over the Lehigh Valley area...but if you go there, today, you won't hear it anymore. In the 1970s they were forced to close the mills and layoff most of the workers and sending the Lehigh Valley region into a disastrous economic slump, which is reflected in the lyrics, "Out in Bethlehem they're killing time/Filling out forms/Standing in line"...people trying desperately to get unemployment compensation before they lost everything. In 2003, the company closed its doors forever.

Realistically, the recession of the 70's and 80's didn't just affect Pennsylvania. The whole country was in distress, so one steel mill closing and putting people out of work was hardly newsworthy. Plus, recession is just one of the fluctuations that a free market economy will experience from time to time; it is inevitable, and it is the nature of that economic system. There are literally thousands of songs that talk about hard life during economic depression and recession. However, the Bethlehem Steel Corporation's demise is a big deal, historically because this corporation's life was an historical big deal.



"Well our fathers fought the Second World War/Spent their weekends on the Jersey Shore/Met our mothers in the USO..." The corporation was born in 1857, and of course the steel industry was at the core of building America's modern infrastructure, but it was the mid-20th century, particularly during WWII, that Bethlehem Steel would enter its golden days. Legend has it that in September 1939 Bethlehem Steel Corp. Chairman Eugene Grace was teeing off at the Saucon Valley Country Club's Old Course when a caddie ran up to his foursome and announced that World War II had just begun. Upon hearing the news, Grace turned to his golfing partners, who were also his vice presidents, and said, "gentlemen, we are going to make a lot of money." That would later prove to be the understatement of the century. Bethlehem Steel didn't just make a lot of money. They supplied an entire army, built cities, and employed generations of workers. The company grew so large that it even had its own police force, which was actually bigger than the City of Bethlehem's. It also didn't just employ steel workers. It employed service personnel for its company kitchens, carpenters, landscapers, and electricians.

Much of Bethlehem Steel's production came from its enormous contribution to the World War II effort. As much as 70 percent of all airplane cylinder forgings, one-quarter of the armor plate for warships, and one-third of the big cannon forgings for the U.S armed forces were turned out by Bethlehem Steel, and the company was responsible for building nearly one-fifth of the U.S. Navy's two-ocean fleet.[1]. After the war, Bethlehem Steel continued working on the civilization it had begun before the war. It is responsible for the steel frames for many bridges throughout the U.S. such as the George Washington Bridge and the Golden Gate Bridge and buildings such as the Chrysler Building in New York City. In fact, 80% of the skyscrapers in NYC would collapse if Bethlehem's steel beams were removed. In it's glory days, it was the number two steel mill in the nation. In the race for number one on the Fortune 500 list, "The Corporation", as it was known as by the competition, was known as "Little Steel" and was second only to "Big Steel" - U.S. Steel (USX).

Alas, "as the nation goes, so steel goes" is how things work in the steel industry. Bethlehem Steel couldn't keep up with the invasion of foreign steel and mini mills and substitute materials such as aluminum and pressed concrete. These, however, have been threats to local steel for as long as local steel has been in business. Bethlehem Steel collapsed when other steel companies did not. Much of this is due in part because with the expansion of the free market, the increased availability of cheaper steel, and better methods of production, Bethlehem Steel did not grow and diversify as the competition did. During the recession of the 1970s and 1980s, the steel companies often made business ventures outside of their own industry, using new consolidations and purchases to fund their assets that were failing due to the economy. For example, U.S. Steel purchased the Marathon Oil company and used oil profits to bolster its sinking steel plants until the end of the recession. When its steel profits began to recover, the company then separated the two. Another aspect of Bethlehem's demise was its sloth in developing competitve but environmentally conscious production methods. The invasion of foreign materials made it very clear that steel consumers would prefer to use foreign components if the cost was lower and the quality just as good if not better than what was being produced locally. Many failing steel companies did not engage in this aspect of the competition, and in refusing to do so lost so much money that bankruptcy was inevitable, dispite a long, successful track record.

When the time for expansion was at hand, Bethlehem did not grow as the other steel mills did. It's top executives continued to pay themselves lavish salaries, dispite the toll and the distress the economy and lack of and business was putting on the company. Since the war years, the company had maintained the same people on the executive board. These men paid themselves and ran the business as if The Corporation was still reaping the profits of turning out warships, cannons, bridges, and buildings. Sadly, when fresh executives were brought in to clean up the company's fiscal mess, they attempted emergency repairs: freeze executive salaries and lay off workers. However, the fixes came too late, and the company inevitably failed because of itself. It didn't just fail itself, though. It put the entire Lehigh Valley out of a job. Entire families for generations had been employed by this company.

Given that information, the rest of the song's lyrical meanings are self explanatory.


"Allentown" - Billy Joel, 1982

~information rolled out from:
[1]http://www.bethlehempaonline.com/steelgolden.html
http://money.cnn.com/magazines/fortune/fortune_archive/2004/04/05/366339/index.htm
http://www.bethlehempaonline.com/steel.html
http://www.archaeology.org/9911/etc/mill.html