I heard this song as a kid on a bootleg tape my parents had and grew up with it. I now live in the Rossendale valley, and on the One Man Show recording, he introduces it from when he worked as a boiler scaler in the valley.

Thanks to Mark Dowding for including the last verse - I was going to do the same but hadn't read to the bottom of the thread.

Now see the clouds flying over the moorland
See how the graves to the valley sides cling
Look at the mills, they're idle and empty
This is the valley where cotton was king

As sung, it starts on B flat minor, but it's easier to capo up a fret, and play an Am or just start with an Am; other chords are then Em, D and G as you go along.

The intro and outro are very similar to Stairway to Heaven as well if you want to learn that bit.

Great discussion - hail to Mike for what he has given us.