James Taylor's original version
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 dies from too much whiskey and leaves me these three faces to feed
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
Then it's me and my machine for the rest of the morning
For the rest of the afternoon and the rest of my life
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 cargoes and fortunes and sailors' lives were lost
Yes 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
At day I work the mills just as long as I am able
And never meet the man whose name is on the label
It be me and my machine for the rest of the morning
And the rest of the afternoon gone for the rest of my life
MILLWORKER is a song written by James Taylor and originally released on his 1979 album Flag. The above lyrics are for James Taylor's original version of MILLWORKER as released in 1979.
Bruce Springsteen covered MILLWORKER once, on 06 Feb 2006 during the 2006 MusiCares Person Of The Year ceremony. James Taylor was that year's honoree. See the live 06 Feb 2006 version for more details.
List of available versions of MILLWORKER on this website:
MILLWORKER [Live 06 Feb 2006 version]