Valentine Gray
In 2005 I visited the Brading Waxworks Museum on the Isle of Wight. One of the exhibits showed a chimney with a climbing boy emerging, and suddenly out of the speakers came a voice announcing "This is the true tragic story of Valentine Gray". The speaker continued to tell the story of this poor unfortunate boy who died in 1822. At the end of the tape it looped back to the beginning and then told the story again. By the third loop I had made copious notes and came away with the story and I was all set to write the song. The key thing about this story was that the case of Valentine Gray was that it stimulated the already growing drive for new and effective legislation to protect youngsters in factories and elsewhere. That was almost 200 years ago, and my first thoughts were that we should be grateful that we live in a more enlightened age - then I thought about some of the sweatshops around the world and wondered whether times really have changed.
This is the true tragic story of Valentine Gray
This is the true tragic story of Valentine Gray
Poor little Valentine Gray
He was made to climb chimneys every day
Shed a tear for Valentine Gray
His mother died when he was just six months old
Poor little Valentine Gray
His father just left him shivering and cold
Shed a tear for Valentine Gray
He went to the workhouse and there he stayed
Poor little Valentine Gray
Until one day a chimney sweep took him away
Shed a tear for Valentine Gray
But now things are different
Now times have changed
These things are all in the past
But if you know different then you must bow your head
Before weeping for Valentine Gray
Some chimneys in those days were nine inches wide
Poor little Valentine Gray
He had to strip off his clothes to clamber inside
Shed a tear for Valentine Gray
Climbing boys couldn’t be fat
Poor little Valentine Gray
A starvation diet took good care of that
Shed a tear for Valentine Gray
If the boys got stuck the sweep might light a fire
Poor little Valentine Gray
To encourage them to climb a little higher
Shed a tear for Valentine Gray
But now things are different
Now times have changed
These things are all in the past
But if you know different then you must bow your head
Before weeping for Valentine Gray
There were no feather pillows or sheets for his bed
Poor little Valentine Gray
Just sacks of soot on which to lay his head
Shed a tear for Valentine Gray
Some climbing boys fell to their death
Poor little Valentine Gray
Some had soot in their lungs and they struggled for breath
Shed a tear for Valentine Gray
The sweep beat and abused him in every way
Poor little Valentine Gray
But once he hit him too hard and his soul slipped away
Shed a tear for Valentine Gray
But now things are different
Now times have changed
These things are all in the past
But if you know different then you must bow your head
Before weeping for Valentine Gray
What a tragedy for someone to die so young
Poor little Valentine Gray
The sweep was jailed for a year for the crime he had done
Shed a tear for Valentine Gray
Shed a tear for Valentine Gray