Millworker Emmylou Harris

[Verse 1]
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 dies from too much whiskey and leaves me these three faces to feed

[Verse 2]
Now millwork ain't easy, millwork ain't hard
Millwork, it ain't nothing but an awful boring job
I'm waiting for a daydream to take me through the morning
And put me in my coffee break where I can have a sandwich and remember

[Chorus]
And it's me and my machine for the rest of the morning
For the rest of the afternoon, for the rest of my life

[Verse 3]
Now my mind begins to wander to the days back on the farm
I can see my father smiling at me swinging on his arm
I can hear my granddad's stories of the storms out on Lake Erie
Where vessels and cargos and fortunes and sailor's lives were lost

[Instrumental Break]

[Verse 4]
But it's my life has been wasted and I have been the fool
To let this manufacturer use my body for a tool
I can ride home in the evening staring at my hands
Swearing by my sorrow that a young girl ought to stand a better chance