Good points, sophocleese.

Having just read the words, in full, I wouldn't change any of the words. I would take it as a song about men and their work and them singing about. If you wanted to balance it, you might add another song, from the women's perspective about their work, such as the Weaver's Reverie bu Bob Coltman. It's on Folk Legacy's Golden Ring Reunion CD. Here's a bit that Sandy Paton posted about it:

The song is based on a letter written by one Harriet Farley, a mill girl, that was printed in The Lowell Offering, an in-house factory publication - 1840 or so.

kat