07 Aug 00 - 08:30 PM (#273239) Subject: Lyr Add: COTTON MILL GIRLS^^ From: Joe Offer Mbo - you mentioned a version of this song by the Poozies. Can you post the lyrics? Apparently, it isn't in the Forum or the Database. -Joe Offer- COTTON MILL GIRLS I worked in the cotton mill all of my life, And I ain't got nothin' but a Barlow knife, It's a hard time cotton mill girls, It's a hard time everywhere. CHORUS It's a hard time cotton mill girls, It's a hard time cotton mill girls, It's a hard time cotton mill girls, It's a hard time everywhere. When I die, don't bury me at all, Just hang me up on the spinning room wall, Pickle my bones in alcohol, It's a hard time everywhere. CHORUS (adapted by Hedy West ©1962, Hedy West) JRO ^^ This version of the song is from The Collected Reprints from Sing Out! Vol 1-6 (the pink book). The notes say:
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07 Aug 00 - 08:46 PM (#273252) Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Cotton Mill Girls From: Malcolm Douglas I have it here, and may as well add the missing bits: 1915 I heard it said Go to cotton country and get ahead But it's hard times, cotton mill girls, It's hard times everywhere. Gilmerton Barlow's a long long way Down Ellijay to Cartecay And it's hard times, cotton mill girls, It's hard times everywhere. Us kids worked ten hours a day For fourteen pennies of measly pay And it's hard times, cotton mill girls, It's hard times everywhere. The Poozies had the song from Christine Kydd, who had it from Hedy West. (pub. Carlin Music Coroporation). Malcolm |
07 Aug 00 - 11:42 PM (#273362) Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Cotton Mill Girls From: mg more verses...don't know from where.
us cotton mill girls don't get enough another verse about docking my pay..
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07 Aug 00 - 11:48 PM (#273366) Subject: Lyr Add: COTTON MILL GIRLS^^ From: Joe Offer Here's another version: COTTON MILL GIRLS I worked in the cotton mill all of my life, And I ain't got nothing but a Barlow knife, It's hard times, cotton mill girls, It's hard times everywhere. CHORUS It's hard times cotton mill girls, It's hard times cotton mill girls, It's hard times cotton mill girls, It's hard times everywhere. In nineteen fifteen we heard it said, "Move to the country and get ahead." It's hard times cotton mill girls, It's hard times everywhere. CHORUS Us kids worked twelve hours a day For fourteen cents of measly pay. It's hard times cotton mill girls, It's hard times everywhere. CHORUS When I die, don't bury me at all, Just hang me up on the spinning room wall, Pickle my bones in alcohol, It's hard times everywhere. CHORUS (source: Jerry Silverman's Folk Song Encyclopedia) JRO^^ Note: There's a version in Here's to the Women (Wenner & Freilicher, 1987). It's almost exactly the same as what's in the Silverman book. Silverman gives no attribution, and Wenner/Freilicher say the song is traditional. |
08 Aug 00 - 12:52 AM (#273397) Subject: Tune Add: COTTON MILL GIRLS From: Joe Offer MIDI file: COTTOM~1.MID Timebase: 192 Name: Cotton Mill Girls This program is worth the effort of learning it. To download the March 10 MIDItext 98 software and get instructions on how to use it click here ABC format: X:1 ^^ Also sent to Mudcat MIDIs. |
08 Aug 00 - 02:39 AM (#273418) Subject: Lyr Add: WINNSBORO COTTON MILL BLUES (Silverman^^^ From: GUEST,eric From Jerry Silverman "Folkblues" 1968 Winnsboro Cotton Mill blues (some of the same words as was in Cotton Mill girls) (D)Old man Sargent, sittin' at the desk, |
10 Aug 00 - 10:28 PM (#275520) Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Cotton Mill Girls From: MAG (inactive) It must have been before 1962 when Womenfolk recorded this. They used the Barlows knife verse and and the When I die verse. I like the political ones better, and I like the ones which seem to place it during the New England mill boom best of all. |
10 Aug 00 - 11:11 PM (#275557) Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Cotton Mill Girls From: Mbo I read once that the "When I die don't bury me at all" was actually a verse that comes from the men who worked in the mills, and was absorbed into the song which is otherwise about women. --Matt |
11 Aug 00 - 11:19 AM (#275807) Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Cotton Mill Girls From: Downeast Bob Malcom quoted the following verse to Cotton Mill girls
Gilmerton Barlow's a long long way Ellijay and Cartecay are two small towns or communities in North Georgia. I first heard this song from Hedy in about 1957, before she began recording (or even playing, for that matter). I don't recall her ever singing those words, but what's interesting is that her family was from that part of north Georgia and her dad, a poet, preacher and union organizer wrote a poem that contained the words, "From Ellijay to Cartecay." |
31 Aug 00 - 06:08 AM (#288398) Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Cotton Mill Girls From: Alan of Australia G'day, Thanks to Joe the tune for "Cotton Mill Girls" can be found here at the Mudcat MIDI site.
Cheers,
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20 Oct 06 - 11:42 PM (#1864838) Subject: Lyr Add: HARD TIMES COTTON MILL GIRLS From: Q (Frank Staplin) Lyr. Add: HARD TIMES COTTON MILL GIRLS In 1814 I heard it said Come to the mills and you'll get ahead Hard Times cotton mill girls Hard times everywhere. Chorus: And it's hard times cotton mill girls Hard times cotton mill girls Hard times cotton mill girls Hard times everywhere. Those country folk they ought to be killed For leaving their farms, And coming to the mill. Hard timed, cotton mill girls Hard times everywhere. Us poor girls work ten hours a day For fourteen cents of measly pay. Hard times, cotton mill girls Hard times everywhere. They raised the wages a half a cent And the poor old girls didn't know what it meant, Hard times, cotton mill girls Hard times everywhere. When I die don't bury me at all Just hang me up on the card room wall Pickle my bones in alcohol. Hard times everywhere. Museum of New hampshire History. Mill Workers' Song Lyrics, www.nhhistory.org/edu/support/nhwork/millsongs.pdf |
07 Feb 07 - 05:16 PM (#1960401) Subject: RE: Words to Cotton Mill Girls From: GUEST,Marianne "Jolly" Robinson This is terrific "folk process," seeing all these versions on the web. Who would have thought, back in the 1940s when I began singing? Here's what I have collected and sung. I worked in the cotton mill all of my life I ain't got nothing but a Barlow knife CHORUS It's hard times, cotton mill girls, hard times everywhere. In 1915 we heard it said, "Move to cotton country, you can get ahead Card room kids and spinning room babies Can't keep up with the weave shop ladies Come down the stairs to get a drink of water Along comes the boss, says I'll dock you a quarter You can dock me a quarter, you can dock me a dime I'll go to the office and I'll get my time They raised our wages up half a cent more But they went up a dime at the company store Working on the cotton mill ain't no harm I'd a heap rather be down on the farm See that train goin' round the curve She's loaded down with cotton mill girls When I die, don't bury me at all Hang me up on the cutting room wall Pickle my bones in alcohol It's a hard time everywhere |
13 May 08 - 07:39 AM (#2339123) Subject: Lyr Add: COTTON MILL BLUES (Lee Brothers) From: Jim Dixon Here's a version copied from the web site of Lyle & Elizabeth Lofgrens: COTTON MILL BLUES 1. Worked in the cotton mill all my life. I ain't got nothing but a Barlow knife. CHORUS: And it's hard times in this old mill, and it's hard times in here. 2. Country folks they ought to be killed For leaving their farms and coming to the mill. 3. They raised their wages up a half a cent, But the poor old hands didn't know what it meant. 4. They raised our wages up a half a cent more, But they went up a dime at the company store. 5. Old man Jones taking up cloth, He won't give you half that you take off. 6. If it lacks one yard of being a two-cut* roll, He won't give you but one to save your soul. 7. Card-room kids and the spinning-room babies Can't keep up with the weave-shop ladies. 8. Come downstairs to get a drink of water, Along come the boss, says, "I'll dock you a quarter." 9. "You can dock me a quarter, you can dock me a dime, I'll go to the office and I'll get my time." 10. Got to where now you can't show a dime, You're running on such short time. 11. If I ever marry, I'll marry a weaver, And if she won't work, then I won't either. 12. Working in the cotton mill ain't no harm, I'd heap rather be down on the farm. 13. See that train go around the curve, She's loaded down with cotton mill girls. 14. See that train go down the track, Saying, "Goodbye, boys, we'll never come back." [As recorded by the Lee Brothers in 1930. Their recording appears in the collections "Hard Times Come Again No More, Vol. 2," Yazoo CD 2037, 1998; and "Hard Times in the Country," County CD 3527, 2002. [*"cut" is an old measure for cloth length = 60 yards] |
11 Oct 12 - 12:02 PM (#3418128) Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Cotton Mill Girls From: MGM·Lion Another verse I sing; forget whose version I got it from -- The boss walked by and he gave a cough Blew old Petersen's derby off Sometimes in alternative version The shuttle went round, the belt flew off Knocked old Petersen's derby off ~M~ |
01 Sep 13 - 08:33 AM (#3554985) Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Cotton Mill Girls From: redhorse Just been listening to Hedy West playing this with Pete Seeger on YouTube I think "Gilmerton Barlow's a long long way" is actually "Gilmer to Bartow", two counties in N Georgia. |
02 Sep 13 - 09:14 AM (#3555347) Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Cotton Mill Girls From: MGM·Lion My version on my Youtube channel https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LH2S6LzIsOg |