Now my grandfather was a sailor.
He blew in off the water.
My father was a farmer
And I his only daughter.
Took up with a no good
Millworking man from massachusetts
Who died from too much whiskey
And leaves me these three faces to feed.
Millwork aint easy, millwork aint hard.
Millwork, it aint nothin
But an awful, boring job.
Im waiting for a daydream
To take me through the mornin;
Put me in my coffee break
Where I can have a sandwhich and remember.
And its me and my machine
For the rest of the mornin,
For the rest of the afternoon,
For the rest of my life.
Now my mind begins to wander
To the days back on the farm.
I can see my father smilin
And me swingin on his arm.
I can hear my granddads stories
Of the storms out on lake erie,
Where vessels and cargos
And fortunes and sailors lives were lost.
Yeah, but its, my life has been wasted.
And I have been the fool
To let this manufacture
Use my body for a tool.
As I ride home in the evenin
Im staring at my hands,
Swearin by my sorrow
That a young girl ought to stand a better chance.
Oh, but may I work the mills
Just as long as Im able,
And never meet the man
Whos name is on the label.
Whoa, its me and my machine
For the rest of the mornin,
For the rest of the afternoon,
For the rest of my life . . . wasted.