Good song. McCarn happened to be passing through Memphis at the time of a Victor recording session in May 1930. 'Cotton Mill Colic' was based on his own mill experience in Gastonia, NC. He probably used as his model ''Leven Cent Cotton, Forty Cent Meat' by Bob Miller and Emma Dermer. McCarn (1905-1964) said this about the song:

If you were lucky enough to have a job, you didn't make very much and, in other words, wages didn't compare with the price of food. Food was always higher than the wages. In other words, if the cotton mill announced that they meant to raise a few cents, groceries would automatically go up before the raise come. So there was no point in the raise, it didn't help any; the wages probably made it a little worse. Some people had good jobs - I mean they didn't work too hard - but you didn't make too much and things got worse after that, especially after 'Twenty-nine'. And it was bad enough before! The way times were and the way things were going and the mills were running, I imagine that was where I got the idea for 'Cotton Mill Colic'. [cf William Henry Koon in JEMF #40 - reprinted in booklet for 'Poor Man Rich Man: American County Songs of Protest' Rounder LP 1026].

McCarn wrote sequels for subsequent recording sessions: 'Serves Them Fine' and 'Rich Man, Poor Man (Cotton Mill Colic #2).

--Stewie.