Just seen this thread - I've got an old book I wrote some songs in back in 1973 when I was at junior school, including Cotton Famine Road. In case anyone is interested, these are the words:

Come all ye poor people in old cotton rags
For there's work to be done across the peat hags
A road we must build now on old feather bed
A road we must make now or soon we'll be dead.

(Chorus)
So shovel and scrape now for pennies and bread
Where mosses cross over our old feather bed.

"Why why must we do this" cries poor hobbling Bill
Because there's no work now down there at the mill
"Why why must we do this" cries poor one-arm Sue
Because all the looms there have nothing to do.

(Repeat Chorus)

O famine's our master and famine's our boss
And famine's the devil on featherbed moss
O famine will starve us for famine's no friend
And famine will drive us to graves in the end

(Repeat Chorus)