SEWING MACHINES^^
(by Nancy White)

She came to Toronto with her husband and her baby
Looking for the good life, streets paved with gold
Freedom of expression and a chicken in the pot
She hoped she wouldn't mind the legendary cold
He went to language school to learn a little English
They told her he'd need it more than she ever will
As soon as she had learned to say Hello, Goodbye and Thankyou
she was working on Spadina in a textile mill

(chorus)
Sewing machines, sewing machines, Is that what freedom means?
Sewing machines, sewing machines, Is that what freedom means?

She gets up at five and puts the house in order
Makes the lunch and breakfast, I takes the children to her neighbour
Five to eight she clocks and goes to her machine
Then it's thirteen hours of hard, hard labour
He doesn't like her working but he doesn't help at home
Men didn't do that in the old country
And he goes out with friends, his wife's no longer fun
She's always too tired to love him properly

(chorus)

(bridge)
Whatever happened to my Maria?
The shiny haired girl with the sparkling eyes
I brought her here to this new land of plenty
But she just won't Canadian-ize
She doesn't learn English like the children and me
She's always too tired but I think she's lazy
Whatever happened to my Maria?
I miss the light in her eye

The factory is filthy, the wages are the lowest
Sometimes talk of a union makes a stir
But the boss just says, "Do you want to be deported?"
She doesn't understand that he can't do that to her
And so she works her life away without too much complaint
After all, she got here; one of the lucky ones
She sacrifices dignity, youth, health, and love
To make a decent future for her daughter and her son

(chorus)