It’s been asked of me several times: Where can I hear the full song from the trailer of KING COAL?
Well, here it is! The original song written for the film by Sam Lee. Take a listen above.
There’s a certain kind of magic that happens when music meets memory, when a melody carries the weight of a place. For KING COAL, that magic came alive through the incredible artistry of Sam Lee.
Sam, a British folk singer and keeper of musical traditions, brought his deep reverence for storytelling to the film, crafting a ballad that feels timeless yet deeply rooted in the coalfields. The song he created was inspired by the archival Kentucky folk song Beneath the Linden Tree, sung by Pearl Jacobs Borusky. Sam reimagined its lyrics to tell a new story—one of labor, legacy, and letting go.
Sam wrote the ballad with two distinct parts: a traditional narrative ballad, which plays over the credits of the film, and a call-and-response section designed for the community to sing together in the final scene. It’s a farewell to the myths and cycles that have shaped the region for generations, making way for new stories to take root.
To bring this to life, Sam taught the call-and-response version (via Zoom) to Doris Fields, also known as Lady D—a legendary performer and coal miner’s daughter from West Virginia. Lady D’s voice became the heart of the film’s closing sequence.
Sam’s ballad sought to do what the film itself strives to achieve: honor the past, lean into the present, and help imagine a future. In this way, the song serves as a bridge—a way to carry the stories of a place forward while holding on to the echoes of what’s been.
Below are the lyrics Sam wrote for KING COAL.
I’ve seen a time of brotherhood that works the livelong day
But like an oil lamp all night long, its spirit fades away
They say my father’s father
Like me, worked seam to seam
But they buried him as they’ll bury me
Beneath the Linden tree
And oh how distant are those days they’ve left me cold and grey
I’ve no more fire inside of me—I’m going King Coal’s way
I’ve worked the land with my own hands deeper than the devil sees
But I’ll dig black gold no more for now
Since King Coal’s been set free
Beneath the Linden tree
But songs of old are waking—they’ve found new life and rhyme
Like embers in the fire pit, their light will rise and shine
We soon shall join in circle and sing, oh happy be
Then smiling I’ll be laid to rest
Beneath the Linden tree
Smiling, lay me down to rest
Beneath the Linden tree
Beneath the Linden tree
Beneath the Linden tree
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