Long long time ago,
I can still remember
how blast furnaces they used to glow
And I did study chemistry
to get a job in industry
for making steel or iron, yes I know
But nineties' slump, it made me too sad
with all the bankruptcies that we had
bad news to the nation
and whole X generation
I can remember sleepless nights
those closed-up plants, employment fights
and all those other so sad sights
- those years, steelmaking died

So bye, bye, mom blast furnace, goodbye
You're memorial of - an industry which died
Now those plants of steel, they have gone now for real
and so many of us were left to cry
and so many of us were left to cry

Did you read the chemistry?
Do you know what is entropy?
Do you know who is Bessemer?
Do you master the organics?
Can you produce some candy sticks?
Do you know what does do the converter?
I studied hard but with no avail
unemployment hit like nail
I knew my grades were good
but I was in no swinging mood
I was a lonely blue-jean geeky lass
with books and stuff and playing bass
but nineties were no kicking ass
- those years, steelmaking died

So bye, bye, mom blast furnace, goodbye
You're memorial of - an industry which died
Now those plants of steel, they have gone now for real
and so many of us were left to cry
and so many of us were left to cry

Now for one year I was on my own
I decided I need something done
Computers, that's it's gonna be?
My friends, they were too hit so hard
when bankrupt went the grand shipyard
we kids of generation X, yes, we -
One of us, she went to Brussels
but rest of us, we had no muscles
we got the jobs we could
but we were in no good mood
And when collapsed the world of Marx
the cynics got their dog-like barks
my generation was left in dark
- those years, steelmaking died

So bye, bye, mom blast furnace, goodbye
You're memorial of - an industry which died
Now those plants of steel, they have gone now for real
and so many of us were left to cry
and so many of us were left to cry

Those nineties, they were living hell
unemployment, it did swell and swell
20 percent high, and climbing fast -
Those plants which nineties did survive
no more would any one more hire
to research lab or carbon steel to cast
Now the free-time they were home-made brews
as we tried to drive away the blues
it was supposed to be
best years of life for me!
As we youngsters tried to enter field
the old farts they refused to yield
The wounds we got were hard to heal
the years - steelmaking died

So bye, bye, mom blast furnace, goodbye
You're memorial of - an industry which died
Now those plants of steel they have gone now for real
and so many of us were left to cry
and so many of us were left to cry

Oh and there we were all unemployed,
X generation lost in void
all over had to start again,
so I went pooter hacks and the admin stuff
but soon did have it quite enough
as fire is the iron's only friend
And as I grew my hacking skills
to get a job to pay my bills
no one not born from steel
could know how sad I'd feel
And as the furnace climbed high into the night
but glow was gone and so the light
I could no more feel same delight
- those years steelmaking died

So bye, bye, mom blast furnace, goodbye
You're memorial of - an industry which died
Now those plants of steel they have gone now for real
and so many of us were left to cry
and so many of us were left to cry

I met a girl who used to be
a college mate and friend to me
and I asked her, "so, how's it been?"
"Well, you know how we were let down
there were no jobs in my hometown
so I've too changed for good my own career"
Now I have written tons of code
and had my share of admin load
despite my education
it is not my vocation
If I'd get a job in chemistry
I'd leave the hacking world for real
productive to the industry
- but those years, steelmaking died

So bye, bye, mom blast furnace, goodbye
You're memorial of - an industry which died
Now those plants of steel they have gone now for real
and so many of us were left to cry
and so many of us were left to cry