Elton Britt’s peppy ode to uranium miners from 1955.
Uranium Fever: Elton Britt [1955]
Well, I don’t know, but I’ve been told
Uranium ore’s worth more than gold
Sold my Cad’, I bought me a Jeep
I’ve got that bug and I can’t sleep
Refrain: Uranium fever has done and got me down
Uranium fever is spreadin’ all around
With a Geiger counter in my hand
I’m a-goin’ out to stake me some government land
Uranium fever has done and got me down
Well I had talk with the AEC*
And they brought out some maps that looked good to me
And one showed me a spot that he said he knowed
So I straddled my Jeep and headed down the road
I reckon I drove about 100 miles
Down a bumpy road out through the wilds
When all of sudden I bounced to a stop
At the foot of a mountain, didn’t have no top
Refrain
Well I took my Geiger and I started to climb
Right up to the top where I thought I’d find
A hunk of rock that would make it click
Just like I’d read about Vernon Pick
On the second day, I made the top
And I’m tellin’ you, Steve, I was ready to stop
The only clickin’ that I heard that day
Was the bones in my back that had gone astray
Refrain
Well, you pack up your things
You head out again
Into some unknown spot where nobody’s been
You reach the spot where your fortune lies
You find it’s been staked by 17 other guys
Well, I ain’t kiddin’, I ain’t gonna quit
That bug’s done caught me and I’ve been bit
So with a Geiger counter and a pick in my hand
I’ll keep right on stakin’ that government land
Refrain
*The Atomic Energy Commission